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This Cargo Robot May Look Cute, But It's Just an Overpriced Paper Bag

Paper bags in hand, begone! There’s a new gizmo in town, and it doesn’t mind carrying your stuff around, following its masters wherever they go.
Piaggio Gita looks sum, but costs too much 17 photos
Photo: Piaggio
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The contraption you see here is called Gita, a word that in Italian means short trip. It’s in Italian because it is made by Piaggio, better known to us all for making scooters. It was first shown in 2017, and only now is going on sale for a sum that will drain your bank account in an instant: $3,250.

Officially, the contraption is called a cargo robot. It can be used to store groceries, gear, or whatever, so long it fits inside and doesn’t weigh more than 40 pounds. Once safely stored, your belongings will quietly follow you around by means of smartphone pairing, cameras and sensors.

Gita is powered by a rechargeable battery that can last about 4 hours, and thanks to the electric motor and two large wheels can chase you around at speeds of up to 6 miles per hour.

If you somehow find you have both the need and money to buy this gadget, then you should know it is not a personal assistant robot. It can’t chat, so it won’t be a good companion on the way home from the supermarket, it is not autonomous, so you can't rely on it to do stuff on its own, and needs to see you at all times to work, so it might prove to be a bit of a nag. But truth be told, so are paper bags.

Also as a downside, the lid on the thing is not watertight, which means rain could damage whatever you hide in it, and despite its steep price Gita comes with only one year warranty.

On the bright side, sort of, you can use it to recharge your phone if the need arises, and it can take the groceries right to the kitchen table, inside the house - but not in the upstairs bedroom, though, as it can’t climb stairs.

Despite all its shortcomings, the Italians seem determined to make the thing a hit, and plan to make it available for order on November 18.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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