Autonomous robot startup Cartken, initially known for delivering food on university campuses and busy streets in Tokyo, recently announced a shift in focus toward the industrial sector. Christian Bersch, co-founder and CEO of the company, said that from the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey, they had considered applying delivery robots to industrial scenarios. With increasing demands from industrial customers, Cartken decided to further explore this market.
Bersch mentioned, "We found a huge demand in industrial and on-site application scenarios." In their first collaboration with German manufacturing company ZF Lifetec, Cartken's delivery robots not only successfully transported production samples within the factory but also quickly became their busiest robot. This successful case made Cartken realize that there is a real market demand for industrial applications.
Image source note: The image was generated by AI, and the image licensing service provider is Midjourney
Although Cartken continues to advance its food delivery business, collaborating with Uber Eats and GrubHub for last-mile delivery on American campuses and in Japan, the successful cooperation with ZF Lifetec has inspired their transformation. Bersch stated that shifting the robot's functions from food delivery to industrial use did not pose significant challenges, as the artificial intelligence behind the robots had been trained on food delivery data for years and could adapt to various terrains and weather conditions.
To cater to this new industrial market, Cartken has also started expanding its robot product line. This year, the Cartken Hauler, a large robot capable of carrying 660 pounds, was launched, while the Cartken Runner is designed specifically for indoor deliveries. Additionally, Cartken is developing new products similar to robotic forklifts.
Recently, Cartken deepened its four-year collaboration with Japanese automaker Mitsubishi, and Melco Mobility Solutions, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, just announced the purchase of nearly 100 Cartken Haulers for industrial facilities in Japan. Bersch pointed out that they see great market potential in multiple industries, including automotive, pharmaceutical, and chemical sectors.
Nevertheless, Cartken will continue its last-mile delivery business for food and consumers, but will no longer expand the scale in this area. They are still testing new features on existing delivery routes to ensure continuous optimization of their products.