Japan aerospace company seeks new growth in shift to unmanned industry

YOKOHAMA -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) on Thursday started selling driverless forklifts for warehouse operators grappling with rising e-commerce demand coupled with chronic labor shortages, a move by the Japanese machinery maker to shift from manufacturing into services.

The unmanned system comprises a forklift for pickup and loading, self-driving crawlers for moving around pieces of cargo, and a robot arm to sort them out. The forklift uses laser beams to measure its position within the warehouse, and sensors to place its fork in an exact position under the pallet.

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