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The partnership has entered a new phase with the massive deployment of autonomous robots for the material movement of factories, warehouses, logistics, medical and life science facilities in Japan.
Oakland, CA/Japan, Japan – June 25, 2025 – Cartken, Melco Mobility Solutions, a leading autonomous asset company in automotive equipment products and a group company of MITSUBISHI Electric Corporation, is a group company of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, a mobility solutions operator, expanding its strategic partnership through a number of new dollar agreements focused on industrial paths. As part of this collaboration, Melco Mobility Solutions ordered that within this fiscal year, nearly 100 AI-powered Kurtken transporter robots be deployed across industrial facilities in Japan.
This latest initiative is based on years of collaboration between businesses. Since 2022, Mitsubishi Electric and Melcom Mobility Solutions have been Kurtken’s distributor and operator in Japan, advancing its strategic initiative to expand autonomous robotics as a solution to the country’s growing labor and logistics challenges. Mitsubishi Electric is also a strategic investor for Kurtken and is taking part in the final funding round.
Companies deploy Kurtken Robots for a variety of use cases, ranging from urban food delivery with Uber Eats to delivering grocery documents documenting Rakuten and local materials and movements on corporate campuses and industrial sites. Melco Mobility Solutions has played a key role in localizing Cartken’s technology and navigating regulatory approvals. The “Cartken Courier” robot model (formerly known as Model C) became Japan’s first delivery robot to be allowed to drive autonomously on public roads at night. Additionally, based on Mitsubishi Electric’s long-standing leadership in elevator and building systems, the company has developed a solution for integrated elevator delivery, allowing Kurtken robots to operate autonomously on multiple floors.
Now, Melco Mobility Solutions is expanding its deployment of Kurtken haulers, a larger, more rugged robot designed for construction transport with a superintegral capacity of up to 660 pounds (300 kg). The robot can autonomously navigate ramps and uneven ground in all weather conditions, providing flexibility in cargo design, ensuring customizations are suitable for a wide range of industrial use cases. The heart of this expansion is Cartken’s proven AI-based navigation and fleet management platform, ensuring reliable and secure operation
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Mitsubishi Electric is also a strategic investor for Kurtken and is taking part in the final funding round. With the expansion into industrial robotics, the partnership presents a new chapter for automation in Japan’s logistics and manufacturing sectors. This sets stages for the broader adoption of autonomous systems to address the country’s pressing labor and logistics challenges.
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said Christian Bersch, CEO and co-founder of Cartken. “This order illustrates the increasing need for a robust, safe and flexible robotics automation solution that can bridge the key gap in material movement between indoor, outdoor and multi-level environments.”
“We are pleased to announce that Yasuo Aoki, president and CEO of Melco Mobility Solutions,” said: “We are delighted to deepen our strategic partnership with Cartken. By working with Cartken and Mitsubishi Electric, we hope to contribute to solving social problems in the Japanese industrial environment by promoting the deployment of automated distribution robots.”
About Kurtken
Cartken is an AI-powered robotics company that transforms last mile delivery using autonomous robots that operate seamlessly indoors and outdoors with on-site logistics and last mile delivery. Our robots help relocate human labor into higher value tasks, increase productivity and reduce labor costs. They autonomously navigate diverse terrain, weather conditions and floor levels without the need for infrastructure changes. Powered by advanced AI and computer vision, Kurtken robots work well in dynamic environments and can adjust routes in real time. Founded by a former Google Engineer, Cartken leverages deep expertise in autonomous driving technology and robotics to provide the safest, reliable and innovative delivery solutions on the market.
About Melco Mobility Solutions
Mobility Solution is a group company of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and is a sales company responsible for mobility-related solutions. They then set their sights on future smart cities and autonomous driving associations and launched a delivery robot business. Melco Mobility Solutions is working with Cartken and Mitsubishi Electric to develop an autonomous delivery robot business in Japan.
Melco Mobility Solutions will help solve social problems for a better and thriving mobility society in the future by providing the highest quality products, services and solutions.
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