An Italian company has developed an autonomous robot which is designed to help users carry cargo, such as groceries and complete other mundane chores. Italian company Vespa, better known for producing scooters, has opened a Boston-based division called 'Piaggio Fast Forward' in order to focus on the future of mobility.
The vision for the robot which has been named 'Gita' is that it will follow people around completing a series of mundane tasks in the process, and can travel at speeds of up to 22mph. The 'Gita' is about 2ft tall and possesses the ability to store up to 40 pounds of stuff, and the robot has a lid that opens to reveal the cargo bin.
Vespa has not disclosed when consumers can purchase its latest innovation, or how much it will cost them to do so. It said it will continue to conduct pilot tests with other businesses this year.
Vespas first came to prominence after the Second World War, when Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn rode one of its scooters in the film 'Roman Holiday. However, management at the company recognized it can't rest on its illustrious history, and with rivals investing significantly in robots, drones, and self-driving vehicles, the Italian company realized it would have to either evolve or face the prospect of being left- autonomous vehicles are the future.
Piaggio Fast Forward picked a fitting home in Boston, a hotbed for robotics. The company can easily recruit from MIT and competitors such as Boston Dynamics, iRobot and Rethink Robotics.
Gita is similar to other task-minded robots hitting the market. For example, Starship Technologies is testing a food delivery robot in two U.S. cities, and Savioke has a robot that makes deliveries in some hotels.