At the GrabX event held today, Anthony Tan, CEO and co-founder of Grab, announced that they are developing their own delivery robot that will help food delivery partners, especially those who need to pick up and deliver food from shopping malls.
The robot, called Carri, is being developed for indoor and outdoor food delivery purposes, and with its existing capabilities, the developer of this robot within Grab itself says that it is capable of doing both activities now.
Carri is said to use artificial intelligence, probabilistic mapping systems to allow it to pick up food and deliver to designated locations. Carri comes with a LIDAR system and a camera to help it find its way and also avoid obstacles and people.
From what we know so far, this robot will also come with a digital panel on the back that will allow
Later, Carri is said to be able to take and send orders from various users, and will be loaded with a storage function where users will only be able to open their storage space. Many other features will also be introduced before it is launched publicly.
Grab is also developing various other safety features to ensure that the robot does not face issues of vandalism or serious damage. Additional details such as battery and range are yet to be confirmed, but for the demo tests shown, the robot can be driven all day without any problems.
Anthony Tan said that Carri will not be developed to replace their delivery partners, but to help them streamline the food delivery process. According to him, Carri is estimated to reduce the time wasted by delivery partners by 10 percent.
Driver-partners will no longer have to walk in and out of shopping malls to pick up orders and deliver them to shoppers, allowing delivery partners to take on more requests to increase their income.
For now, these robots are still in the development and testing phase, and it is not yet known what the usage and payment model will be for them, or if Grab will cover the costs of using them itself.
