Autonomous robotics startup Cartken, best known for its four-wheeled delivery robots used on college campuses and in Tokyo’s busy streets, is now turning its attention to industrial applications.
CEO Christian Bersch told TechCrunch that industrial use was always considered, and growing business interest pushed the team to explore it further.
Growing Demand for Industrial Applications Drives New Focus
“We found strong demand for industrial applications,” said co-founder Bersch. “In some cases, there’s even more immediate value in helping companies improve how they move materials or manage production workflows.”
In 2023, Cartken secured its first major industrial client: German manufacturer ZF Lifetec. Initially, ZF used the company’s existing delivery model—the Cartken Courier, a cooler-sized robot capable of carrying up to 44 pounds.
“Our food delivery robot started transporting production samples, and it quickly became our most active unit,” said CEO Christian Bersch.“That’s when we saw real demand and shifted focus to the industrial market.”
Expanding Sidewalk Delivery with Major Partners
At the time, Cartken was still actively growing its sidewalk delivery business, with partnerships in place with Uber Eats and Grubhub for last-mile services on U.S. college campuses and in Japan.
But the strong early results with ZF inspired co-founders Jake Stelman, Jonas Witt, and Anjali Naik to broaden their approach. According to Bersch, adapting their robots from food delivery to industrial tasks wasn’t a significant hurdle. The robots were trained on delivery data and built for varied environments and weather.
This allows the robots to operate seamlessly between indoor and outdoor environments. Their ability to navigate around obstacles comes from data gathered during food deliveries on the busy streets of Tokyo.
Cartken, backed by over $20 million from investors like 468 Capital and Vela Partners, is expanding its robot lineup with the Cartken Hauler, a larger model carrying up to 660 pounds. It also launched the Cartken Runner for indoor deliveries and is developing a robotic system similar to a forklift.
CEO Christian Bersch said, “We designed a navigation system that adapts to different robot sizes.” “All the AI, machine learning, and training we’ve done transfers directly to the new models.”
Strengthening Ties with Mitsubishi for Expanded Deployment
Cartken also recently expanded its four-year partnership with Mitsubishi.The automaker helped the startup secure Tokyo street deployment certifications.
Melco Mobility Solutions, a Mitsubishi subsidiary, recently announced plans to purchase nearly 100 Cartken Hauler robots for deployment in industrial sites across Japan.
“We’re seeing strong interest from various industries,” said CEO Christian Bersch. “Many still move materials manually or with small equipment—that’s the need we’re addressing.”
Cartken will keep its food delivery operations but won’t expand them, Bersch said. However, those existing routes are still used to test and refine new features.
Read the original article on: Techcrunch
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