Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has fun with Gita, the Piaggio Fast Forward Robot

by Prashant Kapadia/NHN

Each year, in Palm Springs, California, Amazon organises a three-day robotics convention, the content of which remains strictly confidential, with only a few select international companies invited to attend. During each MARS (Machine Learning, Home Automation, Robotics and Space Exploration) event, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos tests a robot that is at the cutting edge of robotics. And this edition saw him enjoying the company of Gita, the drone developed by Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF), the Piaggio Group company that serves as its centre for research into future mobility.

The very select group of just 130 attendees includes scientists, engineers, employees but also famous authors and Hollywood stars. Last year’s guests included writer Dan Brown and director Ron Howard.

2017 saw Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF) present its first innovative project, Gita. An intelligent vehicle, it can move autonomously and is designed to improve mobility performance in increasingly complex urban settings. With a payload of up to 100 kilograms, it is autonomous for 20 kilometres on an urban circuit. It can accompany a person, map its surroundings, exchange data and control anything that moves around it.