Why Cartken Transitioned from Last-Mile Delivery to Industrial Robotics

Cartken, a startup specializing in autonomous robotics and known for its four-wheeled delivery robots on college campuses and navigating Tokyo’s streets, is now pivoting towards industrial applications.

Christian Bersch, co-founder and CEO of Cartken, shared that the concept of applying their delivery robots in industrial settings had always been a consideration during the company’s development. Increased interest from businesses looking to employ their robots in factories and labs led Cartken to explore this opportunity further.

“We found a notable demand in industrial and onsite applications,” Bersch noted, pointing out that he co-founded Cartken with former Google engineers from the Bookbot project. “In many instances, companies derive even greater benefits by optimizing their materials and production workflows.”

In 2023, Cartken landed its first significant industrial client, ZF Lifetec, a German manufacturing company. At first, they employed their existing Cartken Courier delivery robots, which can transport up to 44 pounds and resemble a wheeled Igloo cooler.

“Our food delivery robot started moving production samples, and before long, it became our most active robot,” Bersch mentioned. “That’s when we recognized the genuine use cases and market demand, which encouraged us to focus more intensely on this segment.”

While Cartken was simultaneously advancing its food delivery operations, securing partnerships with Uber Eats and GrubHub for last-mile delivery across U.S. college campuses and in Japan, the early success with ZF inspired the team, including Jake Stelman, Jonas Witt, and Anjali Naik, to diversify their business model.

Transitioning from food delivery to industrial applications was a manageable task, as Bersch explained. The AI integrated into the robots has been trained with a wealth of data from food deliveries, and the robots are designed for navigation across various terrains and weather conditions.

This adaptability ensures that the robots can operate effectively in both indoor and outdoor settings. Furthermore, the insights gained from food deliveries in Tokyo enable the robots to navigate and avoid obstacles proficiently.

Having raised over $20 million from investors such as 468 Capital, Incubate Fund, and Vela Partners, Cartken is now working on expanding its fleet of robots to complement this industrial shift. Earlier this year, they introduced the Cartken Hauler, a larger version of the Cartken Courier with a capacity of 660 pounds. They also presented the Cartken Runner, aimed at indoor deliveries, and are developing a robotic forklift.

“Our navigation system can be adjusted for various robot sizes,” Bersch elaborated. “The AI, machine learning, and training that went into it can be directly transferred to the other robots.”

Recently, Cartken announced an expansion of its four-year partnership with Mitsubishi, the Japanese automaker that helped them in obtaining certifications to operate their delivery robots in Tokyo.

Melco Mobility Solutions, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, has declared its intent to acquire nearly 100 Cartken Hauler robots for deployment in Japanese industrial settings.

“We’re observing strong momentum across various industrial and business locations, covering automotive, pharmaceutical, and chemical sectors,” Bersch stated. “These companies generally need to move materials between buildings, whether manually, with carts, or using small forklifts—this is exactly what we aim to address.”

While Cartken will continue offering food and consumer last-mile delivery services, Bersch emphasized that they do not intend to expand that sector, although they will keep testing new capabilities on existing last-mile routes.