Vespa Scooter Launches A New Cargo Robot That Can Carry Your Stuff  

Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF), a segment of Vespa Scooters, announced on Tuesday that it’s preparing to launch its first consumer robot that follows its owner and can haul their belongings down the street, reported Venture Beat. 

PFF spent four years refining its autonomous robot called Gita and will be available for purchase on November 18, 2019, for $3,250.

“The Gita robot is a fundamental step toward the future of mobility for Piaggio Group,” said PFF chair Michele Colaninno. “Our objective is to create an innovative consumer product that is efficient and easy to use while also enhancing daily life.”

Gita, an Italian word for “short trip,” is a robot that measures just 27 inches long, 22.3 inches wide, and 24 inches high, can haul 40 pounds of cargo.  

Front-facing camera and other sensors, blended with artificial intelligence, allow the robot to recognize the environment and track its user.

Gita can follow its owner down a sidewalk with 40 pounds of cargo while traveling at a top speed of 6 mph.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9nEQBHceh0]

Gita is entirely autonomous, and its owners can connect to the robot through an iOS and or Android smartphone.

“PFF was founded to create lifestyle-transforming mobility solutions, allowing people to move with greater freedom in their neighborhoods,” said PFF co-founder and CEO Greg Lynn. “With the Gita robot, our first product, we’re thrilled to see that vision come to life. From students to working professionals, new parents to grandparents, Gita empowers people of all ages to more actively enjoy their surroundings and to interact with their communities in a more meaningful way.”

Gita is part of a “new category within the field of robotics: technology that moves the way people move and that augments human experiences rather than replacing or stifling them. With Gita in tow, people are free to put down their screens, get moving, and reconnect with the truly precious ‘cargo’ that shapes their lives: their partners, kids, and friends,” said Jeffrey Schnapp, co-founder, and chief visionary officer at PFF.

And the future is quite clear, the sidewalks that pedestrians walk on are about to be flooded with robots by 2030.