A German robotics startup is partnering up with Uber to bring autonomous deliveries to Japan.

‍What’s happening:‍

  • Autonomous delivery robotics startup Cartken has raised $10M USD in a new funding round
  • The round included notable participation from Mitsubishi Electric and Shell Ventures

The big idea:‍

  • Cartken has designed autonomous delivery robotics that are capable of performing short distance deliveries without any human supervision
  • Cartken leverges computer vision and artificial intelligence technology to operate safely in crowded urban spaces

By the numbers:‍

  • Cartken has raised $22.5M USD in venture capital funding since inception
  • On average, Cartken completes about 36,000 individual deliveries every single month across the United States, Germany and Denmark

Going deeper:‍

  • Cartken is currently being used by biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing companies across the world to expedite shipments and deliveries without requiring human labour or emissions from vehicles
  • Cartken has also recently entered into a new partnership with Uber (NASDAQ: UBER) to leverage their autonomous robotics for food deliveries in Japan

The intrigue:‍

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