Committed to revolutionizing active mobility, Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF) today unveils the all new gita, a robot that follows people on the go, toting up to 40 pounds of belongings. Unburdening you from carrying life’s daily necessities—groceries, gym bag, backpack, farmer’s market finds—the gita robot empowers you to walk more often, hands-free. gita, which means “short trip” in Italian, promotes sustainable, active transportation while also refashioning everyday errands as opportunities to engage and connect.
“PFF was founded to create lifestyle-transforming mobility solutions, allowing people to move with greater freedom in their neighborhoods. With the gita robot, our first product, we’re thrilled to see that vision come to life,” said Greg Lynn, CEO and Co-founder at PFF. “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.”
Meet the gita Robot
By carrying your items for you, the gita robot frees your hands so you can engage with the people and in the activities you love most. A simple push of a button allows gita to sense its environment and pair with its leader to instantly roll behind, in sync with their pace. gita was designed to move like humans move; with smooth, natural motion, it continuously follows without interruption, at up to six miles per hour.
Available in three colors—Signal Red, Thunder Gray or Twilight Blue—the gita robot stylishly complements daily life. Behind its sleek, compact design is state-of-the-art technology that makes gita ready for action whether at work or at play, at home or on the go:
- gita follows indoors or outdoors, best operating on hard surfaces like sidewalks and paths—not sand, snow, mud or tall grass. While it doesn’t climb stairs, gita easily moves up and down slopes at up to a 16 percent incline.
- gita has a rechargeable battery that powers an estimated four hours of continuous operation. When totally depleted, the battery recharges to optimum power in under two hours by plugging the charger into a standard wall outlet.
- Inside gita, a discrete phone charging port keeps phones and other personal electronics charged while you’re out and about.
- At 50 pounds, gita can be transported by car so long as it’s secured, so you can enjoy hands-free movement when exploring away from home.
Simple, Intuitive Communication
gita communicates seamlessly through sound, light and touch. To fit into your life, not distract from it, the robot was purposefully designed without screens or voice response. In collaboration with the esteemed Berklee College of Music, a library of distinct sounds was composed to communicate gita’s state, and in coordination with the robot’s color-coded lighting system. The sounds and lights are used to indicate when gita is powered up, when gita is ready to pair or to inform about gita’s battery level.
Finally, the gita app offers a one-stop-shop for engaging with the gita robot. The mygita app is optional and not required for basic functionality of gita, but does provide a set of enhanced features. The app allows you to share gitas with your “crew,” lock and unlock the cargo bin lid, receive notifications from gita to your phone, check battery charge level, give other app users access to your gita, or even to stream and play audio through gita’s speaker using Bluetooth® wireless technology. The app is now available on iOS and Android devices.
Autonomy for Humans™
gita is not autonomous; if in motion, it’s always following a person. Amid popular discussion of self-driving vehicles and devices, gita is unique in its aim to provide humans, not machines, with greater autonomy. How? gita uses visual sensors to track and follow its leader, moving the way humans move. With privacy top of mind for many, PFF was adamant that gita uses this equipment exclusively to guide movement—the gita robot does not record pictures or videos and has no way to identify who it is following. By sensing, understanding and anticipating human behavior, gita powers Autonomy for Humans™.
“PFF may be a robotics company, but we’re focused on revitalizing everyday human movement and social interconnections,” said Jeffrey Schnapp, Chief Visionary Officer and Co-founder at PFF. “By prioritizing healthy activity and social interaction, PFF is carving out 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.”
“The gita robot is a fundamental step toward the future of mobility for Piaggio Group. Our objective is to create an innovative consumer product that is efficient and easy to use while also enhancing daily life,” said Michele Colaninno, PFF’s Chairman.
About Piaggio Fast Forward
Founded in 2015 by The Piaggio Group, the Italian manufacturer behind the iconic Vespa, Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF) is a robotics company revolutionizing active mobility with lightweight, intelligent solutions that help people move more easily, more often and more enjoyably. Their mission is to build technology that enables Autonomy for Humans. In 2019, PFF brought their first product to market, the gita robot: a first-of-its-kind consumer robot that follows people on the go, carrying up to 40 pounds of their belongings. gita is available at mygita.com. For more information, visit piaggiofastforward.com
About Piaggio Group
Established in 1884, Piaggio Group is the largest scooter and motorcycle manufacturer in Europe and one of the global leaders in the sector. The Piaggio Group is listed on the Italian stock exchange since 2006 and has three main business lines: 2 and 3 wheelers (scooters and motorcycles), light commercial vehicles and robotics (PFF). The Group’s portfolio includes some of the most iconic and famous brands in the light mobility industry, such as: Piaggio, Vespa, Moto Guzzi, Gilera, Derbi, Ape and Piaggio Commercial. Piaggio Group counts more than 6.600 employees, it has a distribution in more than 100 countries and six industrial plants (in Italy, India, China and Vietnam). The Group has also four research and development centers, which employ approximately 1,000 people.
