The Bee: A Mapmaking Beast Turned Loose

The world never stands still.

We all deserve a map that doesn’t either.

Street-level maps have been stuck in the past for far too long. Outdated data. Stale, inaccurate maps. Little innovation. We’re scrapping the old mapmaking methods and replacing them with a real-time, AI-fueled revolution that can see the world as it is – people, objects, and conditions constantly in motion.

The machine that makes this possible is the Bee. It’s a mapmaking beast that anyone can use in place of a boring old dashcam, and it’s shipping now.

Let’s be clear. This isn’t a dashcam – it’s a mapping machine. It’s a way for any car to help build the future of Spatial AI. By capturing high-quality imagery and data with every mile you drive, the Bee helps to build a smart real-time map for anyone to use.

Bees are shipping now and we’re ramping! Check out some of the results contributors are seeing on the road today!

Drive, Contribute, and Transform the World Effortlessly

The Bee makes it easy to capture the details that matter so your daily drive becomes part of a bigger mission: to replace stale, one-dimensional maps with an evolving, high-fidelity view of reality. Useful features and capabilities include:

Always Connected with LTE: Forget syncing hassles or WiFi hunts to download data on the road or at home. You can set it and forget it. With built-in connectivity, the LTE version of the Bee uploads data automatically via global coverage options including Helium Mobile, T-Mobile, Rogers, Vodafone, Chunghwa Telecom, and Optus.
Spatial Intelligence with Accuracy: In a cityscape where ordinary devices falter, The Bee locks onto its position with incredible precision with an upgraded GPS/GNSS module and an oversized antenna. The stereo camera design mimics human depth perception allowing us to create accurate 3D maps of the space around the Bee. This delivers 3D maps so precise they empower robotics, autonomous vehicles, and augmented reality to navigate our ever-shifting environment.
AI at the Edge: Smarter, Faster, Better: Why pay for rented compute in the cloud to analyze your data or wait for it to play catch up? The Bee’s powerful onboard processor runs advanced AI computer vision right at the edge, delivering insights in real-time. This isn’t just about speed—it’s a game-changing shift away from the costly, latency-prone cloud, ensuring you get smarter data without the financial or operational overhead. It also means reliability and confidence that it won’t overheat or throttle computing power like a smartphone would.
Sleek Stand-Alone Simplicity: We designed the Bee to look as good as the imagery and map data it generates. With a slimmer profile, it can neatly fit behind the rearview mirror of most automobiles, making it nearly invisible to the driver for a clear view of the road without any extra gadgets or a smartphone required. And, of course, it does all the normal things you’d expect from a dashcam – like saving high-quality video files to USB at 30fps in case you need it for an insurance claim or a police report.
Fleet Monitoring & Operational Insights: With Bee data and Beekeeper’s real-time, AI-driven dashboard, fleet managers can ensure every vehicle's data is captured accurately and efficiently to optimize fleet performance and safety.

Mapping Made Simple: Join the Revolution

A revolution in mapmaking doesn’t need to feel complicated. With the Bee, you can just mount the device and start driving as you normally do.

Insert the provided power cord into the USB-C slot for POWER
Use the attached suction cup mount to attach the Bee to the inside of your windshield. For the best visibility, we recommend placing it behind your rearview mirror or just to the right, to minimize how much the driver’s view is obscured.
If you are using the LTE model, place a SIM card into the back of the Bee for seamless mobile connectivity.
Insert the other end of the power cord into your 12V accessory power source. If you encounter issues, please check the technical documentation.
Open the Bee App on your mobile device to pair and check to make sure the Bee has a clear forward-facing view.
Start driving!

Join us on this exciting journey to create and use the most advanced maps in the world – one drive at a time.