From College Campuses to Industrial Sites, the Autonomous Robotics Startup Sees a Bright Future Ahead

Cartken, a pioneer in autonomous robotics, has made a significant shift in its focus from delivering food on college campuses and in Tokyo’s bustling streets to industrial settings. According to Christian Bersch, the company’s co-founder and CEO, the decision to explore industrial applications was always on the back burner. However, it wasn’t until companies started reaching out to use their robots in factories and labs that Cartken took a closer look.

“We found a real big need in industrial and onsite use cases,” Bersch said. “Sometimes there have even been more direct value to companies optimizing their material flows or their production flows.” Bersch attributes this shift to the company’s early success with its delivery robots, which were initially designed to navigate the complexities of college campuses and Tokyo’s busy streets.

In 2023, Cartken landed its first big industrial customer, German manufacturing company ZF Lifetec. Initially, ZF Lifetec used its existing delivery robots, called the Cartken Courier, which can hold 44 pounds and resembles an Igloo cooler on wheels. “Our food delivery robot started moving production samples around, and it’s quickly turned into our busiest robot of all,” Bersch said. “That’s when we said, hey, there’s like real use cases and real market need behind it, and that’s when we started targeting that segment more and more.”

Cartken’s pivot to industrials hasn’t been a significant challenge, thanks to the AI behind the robots, which is trained on years of food delivery data, and the devices’ ability to traverse various terrains and weather conditions. The company’s robots are designed to navigate complex environments, including indoor and outdoor settings, and can react and maneuver around obstacles.

The company has also released new robots, including the Cartken Hauler, which can hold up to 660 pounds, and the Cartken Runner, designed for indoor deliveries. Cartken’s latest addition to its fleet is a robotic forklift, which will further expand its capabilities in industrial settings.

“We have a navigation stack that is parameterizable for different robot sizes,” Bersch said. “All the AI and machine learning and training that went into that is like transferring directly to the other robots.” This allows Cartken to easily adapt its robots to different use cases, making them more versatile and efficient.

Cartken’s expansion into industrials has been met with success, with Melco Mobility Solutions, a company under the Mitsubishi umbrella, announcing that it will be buying nearly 100 Cartken Hauler robots for use in Japanese industrial facilities. “We’re definitely seeing a lot of traction across various industrial and corporate sites, from automotive companies to pharmaceutical to chemical,” Bersch said.

The company’s success in industrials is not limited to its robotics. Cartken has also formed partnerships with other companies, including Mitsubishi, which has helped the startup get the necessary certifications to operate its robots in Tokyo. This partnership has been instrumental in Cartken’s growth, providing access to new markets and customers.