Toyota | My Site

Toyota Lift Truck Fork Control Center

As part of a design challenge sponsored by Toyota Material Handling and Autodesk, I sought to find a way to improve some aspect of the lift truck (aka forklift).

This post takes you through my process and how I ended up with a safer way to control a forklift fork.

Step 1: Get to Know a User

To understand any problem, and to figure out where I could add the most value, I needed to get to know someone who familiar with forklifts. My user is Patrick, he's been driving forklifts for a few years. He's a pleasant guy, takes pride in his work, has a small family and enjoys unwinding with some video games.

During my conversations and research a theme arose,

"It's scary driving different forklifts, the controls are different for various forklifts and there are big consequences when you mix them up."

Bingo!!! We have a problem.

Step 2: Validate the Problem

The variety of controls seemed like a potential problem to solve. Further research revealed a huge variety of controls. I found that even among similar setups, levers in similar locations might serve different functions. Operators arms were swinging all over the place in some cases and the visual and physical field of search seemed ripe for error.

Step 3: Find Inspiration

In my search for inspiration I looked for different control devices that Patrick may be familiar with, or that were being used in other types of machinery.

Video game controllers and joysticks were interesting in that almost any movement in the universe could be narrowed down to a single, or combination of buttons on a handheld object.
Automotive controllers, for infotainment or shifting, seemed to be obvious and familiar parallels.
I noticed joysticks were common in other types of heavy machinery.

Step 4: Sketch Out Ideas

I gave myself some guidelines to help with my idea of minimizing error:

Isolate operations
Must work with gloves and mittens
Create a single touchpoint for all fork actions
Minimize "searching" by placing in an ergonomic location

I chose to continue on with a design utilizing a gated joystick on a pivoting, padded armrest. This design limits the opportunity for error, limits movement and searching, and is located in an ergonomic position.

Step 5: Create a Model in Fusion 360

Fusion 360 is a breeze, it's a fantastic tool for quick and accurate modeling.

Step 6: Render in Fusion 360 and Photoshop to Communicate Design

My fork control center is to be mounted directly on the operator's seat, placing the controls in a natural location. Having all of the fork controls in one location means that the operator isn't fumbling between levers and has a smaller visual search field when looking to confirm operations. A red, and actuated lever acts as both a release switch and a lift handle to raise and lower the arm to allow ease of entry and exit.

Materials were chosen that are commonly used in current forklifts, with touch of aluminum flair to emphasize the control center and control information.