Canadian automaker supplier Magna has revealed that it is manufacturing Cartken’s autonomous delivery robot fleet with production set to “ramp up” in the coming months to meet growing demand for last mile delivery.
Magna is currently manufacturing Cartken’s Model C autonomous robots in Michigan. The two firms also announced that they plan to include additional autonomous delivery models based on the same platform for different use case applications and robot-as-a-service business models.
Based on Cartken’s forecast, thousands of autonomous delivery robots are expected to be produced during the term of the agreement.
“We seek strategic partners that can accelerate the trajectory of Cartken’s growth. This partnership is a significant step toward scaling our business and getting more Model C’s into the world,” said Christian Bersch, Co-Founder and CEO of Cartken. “We’re honoured that Magna, as a global leader with deep systems knowledge and manufacturing excellence, recognized the potential of our robots and the quality of our technology.”
Safe operations
Cartken’s fully autonomous delivery robots can operate outdoors and indoors and are equipped with a remote monitoring and teleoperation system that allows for instantaneous human override if necessary, helping to ensure service levels are high. They can also navigate pavements, crosswalks and pedestrian paths without human guidance.
The robots are fitted with multiple cameras and respond to situations in real-time using a combination of machine learning and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based navigation algorithms.
Currently, Cartken’s autonomous delivery robot fleet is in commercial operation and has been deployed for various autonomous delivery use cases in malls, hotels, universities, retail, back-of-house, and warehouses around the globe.
US college roll out
The Magna and Cartken manufacturing announcement did not reveal how the robots will be used, but one potential location could be at college campuses across the US. Cartken is currently working with mobile food-ordering and delivery platform Grubhub to bring robot delivery to college campuses. The service was first trialled at Ohio State University and a full roll out is expected when students return to campus this fall.
Grubhub partners with more than 250 college campuses across the United States to give students the ability to integrate meal plans directly into their Grubhub account and access restaurants both on- and off-campus for delivery and pickup. The partnership with Cartken for autonomous robot delivery builds on Grubhub’s existing campus offering and is a seamless fit for campus environments, which are notoriously difficult for cars to navigate.
Cartken’s robots operate at up to three miles per hour on campus and handle various weather conditions, including rain and snow.
DPD partnership
Elsewhere, Cartken is also working with parcel delivery firm DPD UK to trial a fleet of autonomous robots in two neighbourhoods in Milton Keynes. DPD-branded autonomous robots will each deliver up to 30 parcels a day helping the delivery company to start removing traditional delivery vans from the road network leading to reductions in emissions and congestion.
