Abstract: A method for detecting obstacles, such as people for example, in the operation of remote-controlled vehicles (10). The vehicle may be an industrial materials-handling truck or an industrial robot equipped with a data processing control system and transmitters (20,22) and receivers (24) for ultra-sound waves. Ultra-sound pulses are transmitted continuously in groups from the transmitter in a pre-determined pattern, and only one input signal having a pulse pattern corresponding to the aforementioned predetermined pattern for respective pulse groups is received by the receiver (24) and evaluated by the data processor for controlling maneuvering of the vehicle (10).