At Singapore, we got to learn about the new features Grab will be introducing in the coming months through their inaugural GrabX event. Learning about their upcoming AI-powered features was fun, but what got us curious is when Grab showed us their suite of IoT hardware that they use to improve their service.

Starting with their in-house GrabMaps solution, Grab shared with us that they have their own map-making camera called the KartaCam 2. Their in-house map-making camera is in its third generation, and boasts four 48-megapixel sensors that have full 36-degree coverage, a GPS and LiDAR system for accurate mapping and positioning, and built-in 4G and WiFi for easy transmission. The KartaCam 2 is compact for its purpose, enough that Grab also designed a backpack for doing map-making in narrow streets.

For using the KartaCam 2 with a car, Grab also developed a specialized Karta Dongle that connects through the car and complements on-vehicle GPS tracking and has on-board diagnostics like determining if it is raining outside through the movement of wipers. With the latter, this gives Grab more data to work on when it comes to determining weather conditions–and in return reduce the delays in pickups and drop-offs.

Efficiency is the key when it comes to Grab’s services, and that’s why they also have Bluetooth Beacons for merchants to help with preparing food and for timely pickups by delivery riders. Speaking of food, Grab also showed us that select establishments have dedicated food lockers, where riders can safely deposit their food orders for you to pick up at a later time.

The trip to Grab’s headquarters in Singapore made us realize that Grab is not only a software platform–they also have the necessary IoT hardware to ensure that they give top-notch services to everyone.