Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF), a subsidiary of the Piaggio Group (PIA.MI), is focused on robotics and mobility of the future. Piaggio Fast Forward launched its first product in the market in 2019. The company named it GITA, a unique follow-me robot with a payload of 20 kilograms. Since then, PFF has kicked off some pilot programs to test further applications of its revolutionary robot carrier GITA, together with partners active in various business sectors, including travel, hospitality, real estate, retail, local food delivery.
Having launched GITA to the U.S. consumer market, Piaggio Fast Forward now looks at new opportunities to integrate robotics into B2B sectors, always with the goal to improve the way workers and customers move in different environments, outdoor and indoor.
“These pilot programs are a testament to the excitement and energy that a product like GITA brings to folks. The GITA robot is a new tool for a new today and sits at the intersection of new urbanism, helper robots, and the human mobility revolution” – commented Michele Colaninno, PFF’s Founder and Chairman of the Board – “Today robots are more acceptable and desirable than ever before for both personal use as a consumer and increasingly, at scale as an assistive device in retail, residential and commercial environments. This corresponds precisely with our ideas at PFF: robotic intelligence and human beings must cooperate and develop a mutually beneficial relationship in order to create a better world for tomorrow.”
According to PFF, the first pilot programs to be launched include relevant partners such as:
- Cincinnati International Airport (CVG): With a traffic of 7 million passengers per year, it is a relevant hub in Kentucky, renowned for paving the way for the latest in the airport. GITA will be used to clear the path for contactless, digital, concierge services for travelers and to assist elsewhere in processes like luggage and cargo transport;
- Delivery Co-op: A company focused on food deliveries at the neighborhood level, based in Lexington, Kentucky. Over here, GITA will be used for safe, contactless neighborhood deliveries;
- Doğan Trend Automotive, part of Doğan Group: A holding based in Istanbul, controlling several companies operating in different sectors such as energy, industry, fuel, finance, internet and entertainment, automotive, tourism, and real estate, playing a pioneering role in the Turkish market. Over here, GITA will be tested in a retail mall and a waterfront marina location, where consumers can elect to have GITA shepherd commonly needed items like and shopping bags for them.
“Thanks to GITA, people can walk further, faster and more frequently, doing it with more pleasure. We are ready to experiment with the use of GITA in retail, residential and commercial environments with the aim to simplify and enhance human performance” – said Greg Lynn, Chief Executive Officer at Piaggio Fast Forward.
GITA is the first innovative project of Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF), the Boston-based robotics and future mobility company of the Piaggio Group. It is a unique follow-me robot carrier, with a payload of 20 kg, designed to follow the user indoors and outdoors, at a top speed of 10 km/hour and with 4-hour battery life. The GITA robots are produced in the new Piaggio Fast Forward facility in the Charlestown district of Boston. Marketing began in November last year through online channels, with a first phase focused on the US market, where the circulation of robots on city streets is already regulated.