Vespa's new robot will carry your groceries

Comments

• xanadu Posts: 3,347

  2017-02-07 02:56

  I want to know what sensors they're using! Where's the specs already. Okay, 4 months in. I wonder if they remote controlled it for the videos hehe. At least the FAA can't touch these land loving drones. If they catch on, I wonder if the DOT or some other agency will try to regulate them.
  
  Engadget has some more pics and video - https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/04/gita-personal-cargo-robot-hands-on/#/
  
• jmg Posts: 15,149

  2017-02-07 02:58

  erco wrote: »

  up to 22 MPH! You ain't getting away from those green beans!

  
  Cool video, cute packing, but notice how it can only go DOWN ramps !!
  
  Pesky physics gets in the way of nice PR spin again....
  
  
• erco Posts: 20,254

  2017-02-07 06:49

  jmg wrote: »

  Pesky physics gets in the way of nice PR spin again....

  
  It doesn't "gerbil" very much in the video, I guess gyros and PID could damp such pendulous oscillations. I'd like to see it tackle stairs next.
  
  
• Heater. Posts: 21,230

  2017-02-07 14:43

  Interesting idea.
  
  Won't go well up and down the escalators at air ports and such. How about jumping in and out of taxis, busses, trains...
  
  Won't move more that half a meter around here a lot of the year for snow.
  
  Next...
  
  
• MikeDYur Posts: 2,176

  2017-02-07 15:02 edited 2017-02-07 15:23

  Can it handle the occasional canine watering the wheels.
  
  People are really going to get lazy, if the little red wagon was too much trouble.
• erco Posts: 20,254

  2017-02-07 16:19 edited 2017-02-07 19:01

  Quite funny IMO that Vespa is an Italian company, presumably developing and testing in... Italy? Far and away my favorite country, but urban Italian cities are not known for its smooth wide open sidewalks or untrafficked streets as these robot photos and videos show. In fact, Vespa may be its own worst enemy. Vespa scooters parked randomly on streets and sidewalks may be formidable obstacles for this bot.
  
  
• Seairth Posts: 2,474

  2017-02-07 17:55

  erco wrote: »

  Quite funny IMO that Vespa is an Italian company, presumably developing and testing in... Italy? Far and away my favorite country, but urban Italian cities are not known for its smooth wide open sidewalks or untrafficked streets as these robot photos and videos show. In fact, Vespa may be its own worst enemy. Vespa scooters parked randomly on streets and sidewalks may be formiddable obstacles for this bot.
  
  

  
  Unless their new scooters are also robots! Then they can talk to and navigate around each other at will!
• erco Posts: 20,254

  2017-02-07 18:50

  True, we've come a long way since Ghost Rider, everyone's favorite failure at the first DARPA Grand Challenge.