Cartken, an autonomous mobile robot developer, and Stirling Ultracold, a developer of portable ultra-low temperature (ULT) storage systems, today launched a new partnership and jointly developed an autonomous system. The companies designed the system to transport temperature-sensitive samples, reagents, and other materials across life sciences, healthcare, research, and industrial environments.
“This partnership showcases how innovation in robotics and cold storage can come together to solve real-world challenges,” said Christian Bersch, co-founder & CEO of Cartken. “It unlocks new possibilities for laboratories, hospitals, and industrial campuses needing reliable, autonomous cold-chain transport to streamline their intralogistics workflows.”
The new system combines two existing technologies:
- The Cartken Hauler Robot, which can automate material handling in mixed outdoor and indoor environments. Additionally, it has multi-level autonomous navigation capabilities.
- Stirling’s ULT25NEU Portable Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer.
When used in tandem, the two can enable fully autonomous movement of critical materials requiring storage temperatures as low as -86ºC (-122.8ºF), Cartken said.
Oakland, Calif.-based Cartken previously specialized in last-mile delivery robots. In April, however, it expanded its lineup with the release of the Hauler. The company said it aims to tackle a critical gap in industrial and onsite logistics automation: seamless material handling across complex, mixed environments, multiple levels, and diverse terrains.
Founded in 2019, Cartken came out of stealth mode in March 2021, when it announced a partnership with REEF Technology to make deliveries in downtown Miami.
Cartken hopes to bring automation to more industries
Cartken said many facilities still rely on manual transport for temperature-sensitive materials. This requires employees to move samples between labs, storage areas, and production lines. Existing automation systems, if present, are often limited to a single building or floor, leaving cross-campus logistics fragmented and inefficient.
The Cartken-Stirling integration aims to solve this gap by offering end-to-end autonomous transport across entire sites. This includes seamless elevator integration to navigate multi-level facilities.
“Our robots have already transformed how leading pharma and biotech companies handle intralogistics — eliminating inefficiencies and manual transport of tools, materials, and samples across their campuses,” Bersch said. “But when they asked for a way to automate the movement of temperature-sensitive samples, we knew we had to push boundaries. This first-of-its-kind autonomous cold-chain solution is designed in direct response to industry needs.”
Cartken said key features of the system include:
- Temperature Range: From -86ºC to -20ºC (122.8ºF to -4ºF), adjustable in 1ºC increments
- Storage Volume and Capacity: 25 liters (0.9 cu. ft.), 18 standard 2” boxes
- Internal Storage Dimensions: 332 x 221 x 340 mm (12.1 x 8.7 x 13.4 in.)
- Wireless Monitoring: Continuous temperature monitoring and logging
- Seamless Indoor & Outdoor Mobility: Autonomously handles transitions between buildings, corridors, and outdoor pathways, including rough terrain
- Elevator Integration: Compatible with various elevator systems for uninterrupted multi-floor transport
- All-Weather & Day/Night Navigation: Operates reliably in rain, sun, snow, and extreme temperatures, and in any lighting condition, 24/7
