Frequently Asked Questions

What does your product do?

Thirdwave’s platform enables our autonomous vehicles to work for and alongside operators within your existing facilities to enable reduction in costs and improvement in service levels.

Can you convert my existing forklifts?

Today, our technology is available on new forklifts only. Contact us to talk about the features of our first available product, the TWA Reach, and the benefits it can bring to your warehouse.

Are they serviceable?

Third Wave Autonomous Forklifts are fully serviceable, under the surface they are a standard piece of MHE, and all Third Wave components are intended to be field serviceable.

How long does it take to switch to manual, RC, or autonomous mode?

Typically seconds; it is as simple as a turn of the onboard key, or selecting the truck from Fleet Manager and engaging in remote control operation.

Can your forklifts be used in cold storage?

Today’s vehicles are not setup for cold storage. We are open to considering a variety of features for our roadmap.

How long can a forklift run autonomously on a single charge?

The run time of our autonomous vehicle will be similar to a manned vehicle. Ultimately, it will be dependent on the application and vehicle configuration. We are set up to enable 2 and 3 shift operations.

How much training is needed? Who provides the training?

It currently takes a few weeks to fully ramp a new associate to full productivity using the autonomous capabilities, after going through Third Wave’s training with continued support.

Is there anything to install in my warehouse?

Assuming you are using electric forklifts and wifi, there is no additional onsite hardware required. As part of safety compliance, there may need to be safety labels placed at facility entry points.

What aisle width/rack type etc do you support?

We support down to a 10′ aisle and up to 366″ lift in stock configuration. A thorough pre-deployment analysis would be required to understand compatibility with your warehouse and ROI potential.

How fast do the forklifts run autonomously?

Workflow and task throughput are dependent on warehouse configuration, load types and other factors. That said, our forklifts are currently capable of up to 2.5 m/s in areas in which it is safe to do so.

Do you support any other integrations: WAS, WES, conveyor, IoT sensors, RFID?

We are currently focused on WMS integration to support replenishment workflows. However, we would be happy to discuss your specific needs and custom integration requirements.

Are your robots taking jobs? 

Our solution cannot work fully (RC mode) without your staff present. Third Wave Automation is trying to make your existing warehouse associates job more comfortable, efficient, and rewarding by leaving the long distance, simple material movement as the automated portion, and the more complex, human needed tasks to your existing staff. We call this collaborative autonomy.

Ask our experts

If you have any questions that were not answered here, we would love to talk to you!