Cartken · working robot
Cartken Courier
A six-wheeled sidewalk robot the size of a large cooler (83 x 51 x 62 cm) that carries up to 20 kg in a locked, insulated bin, navigating mainly with cameras and remote help when needed. Speed is the 3.3 mph quoted for the Tokyo service.
- Price
- —Not published
- Height
- 62 cmTaller than 31%
- Weight
- —Not published
- Payload
- 20 kgCarries more than 13%
- Speed
- 5.3 km/hFaster than 52%
- Battery
- 13 hRuns longer than 83%
Not sure this is the one? Find the best robot for your job Starts with: deliver things. Five more quick questions.
Why it matters
Cartken Courier is on the market today.
Real-world use
Launched in Miami with REEF in March 2021, then on US campuses and in Fairfax, Virginia with Grubhub and Uber Eats, and in Tokyo with Uber Eats and Mitsubishi Electric from 2024; ZF Lifetec used it in factories from 2023.
Timeline
- Released
- 2021
Maker
CartkenCompany · founded 2019 · Oakland, California, United StatesMore than $20M from 468 Capital, Incubate Fund, Vela Partners and others
How it stacks up
Against other working & field robots that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
Cartken Courier is taller than 31% of the 72 other working & field robots that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Cartken Courier is faster than 52% of the 86 other working & field robots that publish a speed. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Cartken Courier carries more than 13% of the 84 other working & field robots that publish a payload. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Cartken Courier runs longer than 83% of the 86 other working & field robots that publish a battery. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: weight, joints, price.
Public attention
A hidden gem: a recent robot with full published specs that gets little attention so far.
- No Wikipedia article of its own yet
- 1 news story from reputable press listed on this page
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-13; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Movement
- Wheeled base
- How it runs
- Fully autonomous. It drives sidewalk routes mainly by itself with cameras, calling on remote operators only when it needs help.
- Sensors & vision
- Camera-first design with depth and colour cameras, no lidar; works in GPS-denied areas
- Battery & power
- 13+ hours runtime (Courier)
- AI & software
- AI navigation on human-annotated HD maps; remote operators can take over via LTE; web Fleet Manager with VDA5050 support
- Other details
- Courier carries 20 kg; earlier Model C had an insulated 27-litre bin and ran about 3.3 mph
Lineage
Every Cartken machine in order.
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- Not published
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Where it is sold or used
- United States
- Customers and pilots
- REEF Technology (Miami), Grubhub and Uber Eats (US), Uber Eats and Mitsubishi Electric (Tokyo); partners include Magna, Rakuten, Novo Nordisk and ZF Lifetec
News
The latest 1, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Uber Eats to use Cartken robots in Tokyo
Uber, Mitsubishi Electric and Cartken planned sidewalk robot deliveries in part of Tokyo from March 2024.
TechCrunch
Side by side with its peers
Picked by the same rules for every robot: another maker’s robot that moves the same way, is at the same stage and does at least one of the same main jobs, first shown within two years. Closer size and price rank higher. Few robots match closely, so these are the nearest matches. How we choose
| Measure | Cartken CourierCartken |  Avride delivery robot (next generation, four-wheel)Avride (Nebius Group)Same jobs: sidewalk food delivery, campus delivery · Both on wheels · Both on sale or in pilots |  Serve Gen 3 robotServe RoboticsSame job: sidewalk food delivery · Both on wheels · Both on sale or in pilots |
|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2021-03 | 2024-10 | 2025 |
| Status | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial |
| Height | 62 cm | — | — |
| Weight | — | — | — |
| Joints | — | — | — |
| Speed | 5.3 km/h | 8 km/h | — |
| Payload | 20 kg | — | — |
| Battery | 13 h | 13 h | — |
| Price | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from the maker. Every link below backs something on this page.
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