Vespa Gita Release Date, Specs News: Personal Cargo Robot Helps Carry Groceries, Can Move as Fast as a Bicycle
Piaggio, the Italian manufacturer of the iconic Vespa scooters, recently established a new division, Piaggio Fast Forward, which is focused on transportation, robotics and the urban setting. The company recently introduced its first product — Gita, a personal cargo robot.
"The transportation and robotics industries tend to focus on optimizing tasks and displacing labor. We are developing products that augment and extend human capabilities, instead of simply seeking to replace them," said Jeffrey Schnapp, CEO of Piaggio Fast Forward.
Gita, pronounced as "jee-ta," which is Italian for "short trip," is designed to be an autonomous vehicle that carries a person's cargo. It is 26 inches tall and has a cargo carrying capacity of 40 pounds. Moreover, it has a zero turning radius and attains a maximum speed of 22 miles per hour (mph).
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The cargo-carrying robot is meant to travel alongside people whether they are walking, jogging or riding a bike. It also aims to promote a healthier lifestyle but without the hassle of having to lug around heavy packages, like when bringing home groceries.
"Gita frees up the human hand to focus on complex and creative everyday tasks by taking over mundane transportation chores. You can also send your Gita off on missions while you are busy doing something more pressing," Schnapp added.
Piaggio Fast Forward's new creation is intelligent and communicative. Gita is able to learn its environment so that it can navigate the space indoors and outdoors. It has been engineered to pay attention to safety, braking, balancing and vehicle dynamics, the same functionalities consumers have come to expect from motorcycles or cars. Gita also acts in accordance with the human operator's commands.
Gita is first scheduled to take part in business-to-business pilot test programs before it is released to consumers in the near future.
More official details about Gita will be released soon as Piaggio Fast Forward will be hosting a press conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 5:45 p.m. EST. The event will be attended by Piaggio executives and select members of the media.
