BB-8 for this universe
Eep! Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF) developed a robot ball to follow you around BB-8 style. Gita, which means “short journey” in Italian, is an autonomous cargo-bot, meaning you can make it carry all your stuff and it won’t complain. The bot communicates with lights, sounds, and a touchscreen, but unlike BB-8, its sass levels are non-existent.
Piaggio also founded Vespa, and its PFF subsidiary aims to make Gita a 21st century Vespa.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Piaggio’s goal is to help humans and bots live harmoniously. ” quote=”Their goal is to help humans and bots live harmoniously. “]
According to its designers, “it’s a land drone, it’s a cargo bot, it’s a Sherpa, and it’s a smart device that learns the environments and maps them as it travels them with human guidance.” The bot is designed to operate in a mapped environment, and is able to navigate autonomously.
Please explain
In follow mode, the human guide puts on a wearable and Gita creates a map of its surroundings. For areas it’s already familiar with, Gita can navigate autonomously. It has a battery life of up to eight hours at normal walking speed, and the cute LED Nest-like interface will let you know if it’s getting tired.
Gita looks like a giant aqua-colored suitcase meets tire, and I’m in love. One of my favorite things in any video game is forcing my companions to carry all the junk I have acquired along the way once it gets too heavy for me. Gita can hold up to forty pounds, comparable to what a normal human can max out at, making my virtual dream a reality. I could shove so many books in there.
For people with real jobs, Gita could come in handy at conferences and during business trips. Instead of hauling heavy laptops and expo swag to the detriment of your shoulder muscles, make Gita do it for you.
Gita is mostly independent, and can climb low-level heights like curbs. It is also able to navigate high-rise buildings. Like a loyal puppy companion, it can even find its way home if you somehow manage to lose it. The rubber tires lower vibration levels, keeping precious cargo safe. So don’t worry, your graham crackers aren’t going to shatter just because you made it hop a curb.
Slow your roll
The adorable bot can match its human companions pace, up to 22 miles per hour, and adapt to any walking, running, or crawling speed in between. Designers note Gita comes equipped with a braking and balancing system as well, so your stuff won’t take a spill. Additionally, Gita has a secure lock, is equipped a 360-degree camera, and is tracked at all times.
If you hate all things delightfully ocean colored, the design is available in a shiny white as well. PFF also launched Kilo, a gigantic version of Gita that looks more like a recumbent bike mixed with a bumper car. It can hold over 200 pounds and has extra stability with three wheels. It doesn’t have the BB-8 spherical appeal, but it’s still useful.
Tragically, Gita isn’t available for purchase yet, even if you are willing to travel across the galaxy to get one.
The project is still in testing for the unforeseen future of at least another six months. Until then, feel free to binge on PFF’s promo video and pine after your very own Gita.
#gitabot
