ProMat 2025: Fox Robotics releases FoxBot Mk3 with new capabilities

Autonomous lift truck provider Fox Robotics recently released the third generation of its FoxBot autonomous forklift, expanding its capabilities to cover more applications and serve new and different industries with autonomous loading dock workflows.

Fox Robotics will demonstrate its FoxBot Mk3 autonomous trailer loader/unloaders (ATLs) at ProMat 2025 in booth N7963. The trade show will be held March 17-20 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Ill.

The Mk3 has four new capabilities, including autonomous trailer loading, automatically-adjusting fork tines that can accommodate new load profiles, additional software integrations to connect warehouse workflows, and an expanded sensor suite to improve safety and efficiency during movement throughout the warehouse.

“Fox Robotics is the unequivocal leader in dock autonomy today demonstrated by the new technology and capabilities we’ve built into the third-generation FoxBot,” said Marin Tchakarov, Fox Robotics CEO and president. “Breakthrough software and hardware innovations on the Mk3 provide warehouse and distribution centers in new industries like manufacturing and industrial distribution the opportunity to capitalize on the productivity and labor savings the FoxBot ATL provides.”

Sensors, automatic fork adjustments help FoxBot lift more pallet types

The FoxBot Mk3 now has trailer-loading capabilities, in addition to unloading, which can help operators automate inbound and outbound dock operations, increasing efficiency and throughput. It can autonomously pick, move, and load or unload single or double-stacked pallets into and out of trailers.

The FoxBot forklift uses on-board cameras and lidar sensors to identify pallets and detect obstacles in real time. The sensor suite on the Mk3 has been expanded to improve the forklift’s ability to dynamically track and understand its surroundings, so it can work safely and seamlessly in the warehouse environment.

Using trained visual perception models, the FoxBot ATL can pick pallets in any orientation from trailers it has never seen before and place them on receiving floors that can dynamically change over time. It can handle pallets that are single stacked, double stacked, or stacked in pyramid loads, as well as pallets wrapped with plastic.

With new cameras built into the Mk3’s mast, it can identify pallet pockets and adjust the width of its fork tines automatically to pick up pallets in any orientation from trailers it has never seen before. It adapts to a variety of load types and pallet configurations, which Fox Robotics said is suitable for industrial and manufacturing warehouses, without the need to manually reposition the forks.

Interoperability with other automation, material handling equipment

New software integrations for FoxBot can help warehouse operators create sophisticated warehouse environments. The Mk3 can pick up or drop off pallets from elevated conveyors, the staging floor, and trailers, as well as automatically move them between automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) and conveyors.

Operators can connect one forklift, or a whole fleet of them, to a warehouse management system (WMS), which enables interoperability with other automation and robotics systems.

Fox Robotics said its FoxBot ATL can help mitigate a range of issues associated with manual forklift operations that can disrupt warehouse operations by automating time-consuming repetitive tasks, increasing employee productivity, and supporting a safe environment with a lower risk of injury.

With its sensors for real-time perception and proprietary software, the autonomous forklift can navigate the warehouse floor with precision, avoiding obstacles as it picks and moves pallets.

Fox Robotics said its FoxBot Mk3 can:

• Unload over 50 double-stacked or 25 single-stacked 40 by 48 inch pallets in less than an hour.
• Detect and avoid obstacles using 360-degree monitoring supported by lidar sensors and cameras.
• Features fully redundant safety braking that prevents collisions and enhances worker safety.
• Work up to 16-18-hour shifts in a single battery charge.
• Connect to cellular and Wi-Fi network infrastructure to deploy and start work within a few hours.