Phantom Auto Blog

Phantom Auto Strengthens Maersk Ties, Featured in Innovation Center

Written by Phantom Auto | Oct 11, 2023 7:38:00 PM

Phantom Auto welcomed a delegation of Maersk executives to its Silicon Valley R&D Center.

Phantom Auto is solving safety challenges that impact warehouse forklift operations with remote operation technology, which enables people to remotely drive forklifts from the safety and comfort of an office. 

Using Phantom’s technology, remote drivers can operate logistics vehicles from thousands of miles away. 

In May 2023, Phantom Auto had the honor of being included as a launch partner for the Maersk Innovation Center, a new facility dedicated to solving the toughest challenges in the supply chain today through the use of emerging technologies. 

Maersk’s goal is to increase safety and worker flexibility for its warehouse workers with remote vehicle operation.

Demonstrating the trailer loading capabilities of a Phantom-powered center rider forklift.

Hosting Maersk at Phantom's R&D Center

In August and September 2023, Phantom Auto hosted delegations of Maersk executives for a series of product demonstrations at its Research & Development Center in Silicon Valley. The sessions centered on live demonstrations of Phantom’s remotely operated center rider and counterbalance vehicles.

Maersk executives were shown how Phantom vehicles can be remotely operated from locations thousands of miles away.  

As Phantom’s remote operators drove the vehicles, they exhibited how the functional safety features work. They showed how blue positioning indicator lights would automatically slow a vehicle when it approached another object, and demonstrated Phantom’s two-way communication functionality between the remote operator and workers on the warehouse floor.

The Phantom R&D team reviewed our product roadmap, focusing on Phantom’s Operators-as-a-Service platform, which enables logistics companies to deploy labor to any of their sites and remotely drive forklifts, at the click of a button. 

Safety leader David Rasmussen explaining Phantom's layered safety methodology to the Maersk team.

Partnering in Worker Safety

Phantom’s safety leader David Rasmussen also led a deep dive into Phantom’s layered safety methodology.

By removing forklift operators from the dangers of an unpredictable warehouse floor environment, Phantom’s technology mitigates worker safety and comfort challenges, while connecting employees who want to work with jobs that need to be filled. 

Phantom’s solution is rooted in a layered safety methodology built on three pillars:

  • A human-in-the-loop remote operator who controls the vehicle, making real-time decisions in dynamic environments
  • A functional safety system featuring LiDAR safety sensors and latency threshold warnings that’s engineered to automatically slow or stop the vehicle to mitigate unforeseen risks 
  • Complementary safety measures including tiered safety fields, a two-way communications system, and object detection and avoidance safeguards

For Phantom Auto, it’s a privilege to partner with Maersk to solve workplace safety challenges. We deeply appreciate being recognized at the Maersk Innovation Center, and are excited about our partnership.

Thanks again to everyone at team Maersk for taking the time to visit our site. We’re looking forward to the next one!

About Phantom Auto

Phantom Auto specializes in remote operation of all logistics vehicles. Phantom’s human-centric interoperable solutions enable people to remotely supervise, assist, and drive vehicle fleets from up to thousands of miles away. By decoupling labor from location, the company increases labor access and retention, safety, productivity, and resilience across the supply chain.

With Phantom, supply chain operators can tap into drivers from anywhere. The company's proprietary software delivers secure, low-latency communication over volatile wireless networks for reliable sensor streaming and safe vehicle control. For more information about Phantom, visit www.phantomauto.com.