The Mobile Robot Company’s J1600 Self-Driving Pallet Jack Named Finalist for IFOY Award 2026

IFOY 2026 finalist: The J1600 self-driving pallet jack brings dual-mode manual and autonomous operation, fast setup and certified safety to pallet transport.

HVIDOVRE, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, January 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Mobile Robot Company today announced that its J1600 self-driving pallet jack has been named a finalist for the 2026 International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Award in the “Industrial Truck of the Year” category. The nomination recognizes the J1600’s contribution to practical warehouse automation and places it among the year’s leading intralogistics innovations. For logistics teams and customers looking for safe, scalable productivity gains, this recognition signals that the J1600 delivers a distinctive combination of performance, usability, and real-world value.

The IFOY Award (International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year) is an international competition that honors outstanding intralogistics products and industrial trucks each year. Winners are selected by an independent jury of trade journalists from leading logistics media in multiple markets. Finalists are evaluated using transparent criteria and specialist expertise, with a focus on innovation, safety, efficiency, sustainability, cost effectiveness, design, ergonomics, and overall customer benefit. The Industrial Truck of the Year category highlights progress in equipment such as forklifts, pallet trucks, and other vehicles that move goods through warehouses and factories.

The J1600 stood out for combining manual and autonomous operation in one compact machine. Its dual-mode design allows operators to use the J1600 like a conventional walk-behind electric pallet truck when full hands-on control is preferred, then switch to autonomous mode for transport runs when repetitive movement can be delegated. Designed for in-house pallet transport and material flows between receiving, storage, production, and shipping, the J1600 supports floor-to-floor work and busy shared environments while keeping human operators in control of when and how automation is applied.

Autonomous navigation is built on advanced 3D LiDAR SLAM, enabling robust three-dimensional mapping and obstacle avoidance in dynamic warehouses where simpler approaches can struggle. The autonomy stack runs on an NVIDIA Jetson industrial AI computer, supporting dependable navigation as layouts shift, aisles get busy, and temporary storage appears. The system is designed to learn quickly: drive the route once, save locations, and the J1600 can repeat the task reliably. Even without a demonstration for a specific run, it can autonomously navigate to any previously saved location, supporting flexible task variation without reprogramming.

A central design goal is fast time to value. The J1600 is ready to use out of the box, requires no IT setup or system integration, and Wi-Fi is optional. Training typically takes about 30 minutes using an on-screen tutorial, which helps teams deploy quickly and reduce the time, cost, and risk often associated with longer automation projects. Adding a new destination is straightforward: drive the unit to the desired point and tap “Save Location.” This quick deployment and redeployment model makes automation approachable for operations that need results quickly and cannot afford disruption.

The productivity upside is substantial. By automating repetitive hauling and reducing walking time, the J1600 can cut manual transport effort by up to 80% on average, freeing staff to focus on higher-value tasks. At the same time, it preserves operational resilience through immediate human takeover when needed. Sensors for tiller position and load detection, together with physical stop and override behavior, make handover predictable so operators can handle exceptions while the machine takes on the routine transport that consumes time and energy.

Safety is a cornerstone of the J1600’s design. It uses a layered safety architecture that includes a dedicated safety controller, dual safety LiDAR scanners, multiple emergency stops, and safety-certified components. Key functions such as braking and person detection are implemented to high performance levels, producing a 360-degree protective field around the vehicle rather than relying on a single-point sensor approach. The J1600 is CE marked and designed for compliance with ISO 3691-4 and ANSI/ITSDF B56.5, supporting safe operation alongside people in real warehouse and factory conditions where pedestrians, pallets, and vehicles share space.

The J1600 is engineered as a practical industrial truck with specifications matched to common pallet flows. It offers a 1,600 kg payload capacity and a 1.6 m lifting height, with a driving speed around 5 km/h, and is designed to handle EPAL Euro pallets and most other open-bottom pallets up to 1.2 m. For endurance and uptime, it supports automatic charging and uses LiFePO4 battery technology. For growth, VDA 5050 and API support help fleets scale without redesigning core workflows, while the on-device teaching approach keeps day-to-day adjustments simple for operations teams.

The market relevance is significant because manual pallet handling still dominates a vast global segment. Annual pallet jack sales exceed one million worldwide, and more than six million people operate pallet jacks every day, yet only a small share of pallet transport is automated today. Many small and mid-sized enterprises have found traditional automation too costly, complex, or disruptive to justify, especially when they run limited shifts and operate only a few pallet trucks. The J1600 addresses this gap by delivering much of the benefit of automation while remaining easy to operate, quick to deploy, and flexible enough for changing needs, making attractive ROI realistic even for smaller sites.

“We are incredibly honored to be selected as an IFOY Award finalist. This nomination is a proud moment for our team and validates our mission to redefine practical automation,” said Emil Hauch Jensen, CEO and co-founder of The Mobile Robot Company. “The J1600 was created to bridge the gap between hard manual work and expensive, complex automation. Being recognized by the IFOY jury shows that our dual-mode, human-centric approach is resonating in the industry. We believe the J1600 represents a new generation of warehouse robot that can deliver meaningful productivity and safety gains for facilities of all sizes, including smaller operations that have been underserved by traditional solutions.”

Emil Hauch Jensen
The Mobile Robot Company ApS
+45 70 72 79 24
hello@mobilerobot.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.