Piaggio Redesigned Its Follow Robot To Look Like A Star Wars Droid

Since 2017, Piaggio’s Fast Forward division—the team behind Vespa—has been working on a novel way to reduce car use: creating robots that can follow you around your belongings. Its first model, the Gita (pronounced “jee-tah,” Italian for “trip”), was a sleek, rolling helper, but its bulky size and steep $3,250 price tag made it more of a novelty than a practical purchase. A smaller, somewhat more affordable version called the Gitamini followed at $1,850, though it still caters to a niche market.

Star Wars Fans Can Now Get a Droid-Inspired Gitamini

Most people aren’t likely to shell out thousands for a cute follow robot — but Star Wars fans might see things differently. With a bit of imagination, Piaggio’s bots resemble BB-8, R2-D2, and other iconic droids. So it’s not too surprising that Piaggio Fast Forward has launched a special Star Wars edition: the G1T4-M1N1. It’s essentially a $2,875 version of the Gitamini (currently priced at $2,475), upgraded with themed decals and sound effects.

The G1T4-M1N1 shares the same specs as the Gitamini: it can carry up to 20 pounds in its top compartment, runs for 7 hours or 24 miles, and cruises at a brisk 6 MPH. But true to its Star Wars inspiration, it’s much chattier than its predecessor. Thanks to Lucasfilm’s contribution of authentic sound effects, the bot might emit flustered beeps as it hustles to keep up or zips around a corner. It’s a major upgrade from the Sphero-powered BB8 toy from 2015.

I spent a weekend testing the G1T4-M1N1 at home, though I couldn’t take it outside or use it in public — the places where it’s really designed to stand out. Instead, it was limited to puttering around my house and deck. My kids thrilled when it powered on with a loud startup sound, but they felt disappointed that they couldn’t load it up with toys and walk it to the nearby park.

“Charming Design, Clumsy Execution in This Lovable Bot”

During my short time with the G1T4-M1N1, I found it eagerly followed me around like a loyal droid, ready to haul whatever I tossed in. However, it struggled with navigating my cluttered floors—when it hit a major obstacle or corner, it simply stopped and entered standby mode until I tapped the touch-sensitive button on top. Unlike my Roombas, it doesn’t attempt to reroute. I also had to keep a close eye on it near my deck stairs, as it repeatedly tried to take a tumble like a robotic lemming.

Greg Lynn, CEO and co-founder of Piaggio Fast Forward, says the company expects users to monitor for major drop-offs like stairs. I spent a weekend testing the G1T4-M1N1 at home, although I couldn’t take it outside or use it in public — the very places where it’s meant to stand out.

Given its issues with stairs and obstacle avoidance, I can’t imagine using any Gita robot indoors without frustration. It would’ve been handy in Brooklyn, carrying my kids’ gear to the park (my sore back would’ve appreciated it). I could also picture parking it outside a grocery store and having it follow me home afterward.

The Risk of Theft Despite Built-in Safeguards

Even in that ideal situation, I’d still worry about someone stealing the G1T4-M1N1. You can lock the storage compartment and disable the following feature via an app, but it’s a manual step. Lynn noted that curious strangers are more likely to activate the following feature on Gita bots than theft attempts. Still, the concern remains, especially since the G1T4-M1N1 and Gitamini weigh 28 pounds. It’s easy to imagine a determined thief simply grabbing one and throwing it in their car. (And unfortunately, you can’t chain it up like a bike either.)

I’m not making any final judgments on the G1T4-M1N1 or its counterparts, as I wasn’t able to test them thoroughly. But it’s clear that they’re not for everyone—especially given the price and the navigation issues I experienced. That said, I can imagine a future where assistive robots like these could be really useful. We already have robots delivering food in some cities, and I’ve seen them assisting waiters in restaurants. Eventually, we’ll see more affordable and practical home robots beyond just the Roomba. And whatever comes next will likely owe a lot to the groundwork laid by the Gita’s large wheels.

Read the original article on: Engadget

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