Home » Semi-autonomous driving Vespa, the first scooter in the world with this technology

Semi-autonomous driving Vespa, the first scooter in the world with this technology

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The car in front of you stops suddenly and your vehicle brakes by itself avoiding the rear-end collision. Then you get distracted and your vehicle puts you back on track: we are not behind the wheel of a maxi sedan full of Adas systems (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) but on a Vespa of the future. A very near future given that as early as 2022 the famous two-wheeler from Pontedera could become the first scooter in the world with these life-saving semi-autonomous driving technologies.

Everything comes from Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF), the robotics company of the Group, based in Boston, leader in the field of tracking technology: it has just developed a new sensor technology intended to be implemented on robots for domestic and industrial use , as well as on scooters and motorcycles. A system package that includes 4D imaging radar supplied by Vayyar. Piaggio has in fact entered into a collaboration agreement with Vayyar Imaging for the supply of Radar-on-Chip, thus developing the first safety platform based on 4D Radar Imaging technology and intended for scooters and motorcycles. The complete sensor package for the scale production of ARAS systems (Advanced Rider Assistance Systems) is developed, built and supplied by Piaggio Fast Forward for the motorcycles of the Piaggio Group.

Founded in 2015 by the Piaggio Group, PFF initially dedicated itself to the perfection of intelligent tracking technologies and the implementation of artificial intelligence in robots and, starting last year, with a strategic decision expanded its spectrum by developing a radar sensor customized, initially intended for motorcycles and scooters of the Piaggio Group, and then, in the future, also for third-party companies.

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As in ‘Caro Diario’: Nanni Moretti returns on a Vespa to the deserted streets of Rome


The Aras advanced driver assistance systems, (Advance rider assistance system) play a fundamental role in the prevention of accidents and in the protection of motorcyclists. In fact, the Aras not only meet the rigorous technical requirements of traditional driver assistance functions, but also meet additional specific needs for motorcycles, such as constraints on the size and maneuverability of the vehicle at high lean angles.
And here’s how these technologies will arrive on the Vespa: there will be Blind Spot Detection (BSD which warns the rider if a vehicle occupies the blind spot of vision), Lane Change Assist (LCA, keeps the vehicle on track) and Forward Collision Warning (FCW, avoids rear-end collisions), with a single sensor covering a radius of about 100 meters, with an extremely wide field of view.

“PFF – explained Greg Lynn, CEO of Piaggio Fast Forward – designs technologically advanced solutions for robots and motorcycles, capable of detecting and monitoring the presence of objects in the surrounding environment, in order to provide the information necessary to perform the mapping. , object detection and control, regardless of lighting, atmospheric conditions and other environmental factors. We have chosen to develop our detection systems with Vayyar’s 4D Imaging Radar technology and are very proud to be able to collaborate with a team of competent and passionate professionals, to create new innovative solutions that offer our customers the best product experience “.

Vayyar’s 4D Imaging Radar technology, intended for both PFF robots and PFF detection modules for the motorcycle industry, supports a large Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system, capable of providing ultra-high resolution point cloud models for complete monitoring of the environment in which the robot or vehicle is located. This high-performance sensor integrates the sophisticated single-chip 4D Imaging Radar technology, characterized by a very wide field of view, both in azimuth and in elevation, without dead zones, detecting and tracking the presence of objects in a precise manner. The reduced shapes have been specifically designed to better match the design features of motorcycles and robots.

Thus the Vespa, after more than 75 years of success and more than 19 million units produced since the spring of 1946, enters a new era. Always in the wake of innovation because – it must be remembered – this two-wheeler has always been revolutionary: it launched the technology of the load-bearing body, direct drive, with the gearbox on the handlebar. The classic front fork disappears in favor of a single-arm that facilitates wheel replacement and, above all, the frame disappears, replaced by a load-bearing body capable of protecting the driver, preventing him from getting dirty or breaking up in clothing. The patent filing of the Vespa design dates back to 23 April 1946.

Since its appearance – in a country to be rebuilt but also full of ideas, creativity and hope – Vespa has represented the joy of living and running towards the future and for this reason it has quickly become an icon of freedom and emancipation for girls. and kids from all over the world. This richness in the values ​​of Vespa has been accompanied over the years by a style and technology that has always been at the forefront over the various decades that have gone through. Like, in fact, that of semi-autonomous driving that will debut next year.


Timeline Vespa

April 23 1946 Piaggio (founded in 1884) filed the patent for “motorcycle with a rational complex of organs and elements with a frame combined with mudguards and bonnet covering all the mechanical parts”. Vespa was born. The motorized scooter with a 98cc 2-stroke single cylinder is built at the Pontedera plant in Tuscany.

1948 – The Vespa 125 cc model is introduced.

1949 – The Italian Vespa Riders Union, which incorporates 30 clubs, is formed and holds its first Congress.

1950 – Vespa starts production in Germany with a licensing agreement with Hoffman-Werke.

1951 – Vespa starts production in the United Kingdom under license from Douglas in Bristol and in France with ACMA in Paris.

1952 – The European Vespa Club is born in Milan to bring together clubs from Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium. Vespa Club members worldwide exceed 50,000. Worldwide, there are more than 10,000 Vespa service stations.

1953 – Vespa 125 is immortalized in William Wyler’s Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

1955 – Vespa GS is the most elegant scooter ever built and marks a turning point for Vespa which for the first time exceeds 100 km / h, for the first time adopts 4 gears and is fitted with 10-inch wheels.

1964 – The Vespino is born, or Vespa in the 50cc displacement.

1965 – Vespa sales exceed 3.5 million.

1968 – The “Who Vespa eats apples” campaign revolutionizes the world of advertising.

1968 – Vespa Primavera is one of the longest-lived Vespa models and the medium of the new generations throughout Europe.

1976 – Vespa Primavera 125 – ET3 is the first scooter with electronic ignition.

1978 – Vespa PX is born, in the three “classic” 125, 150 and 200cc displacements. It will be the best-selling model in Vespa history with over 3 million pieces.

1980 – Four Vespa PXs kick off at the Paris-Dakar, the most epic and grueling race in the world. Incredibly one, driven by Marc Simonot, will reach the finish line.

1984 – Vespa PK 125 Automatica, is the first Vespa with automatic transmission.

1988 – Vespa sales exceed 10 million.

1992 – Giorgio Bettinelli, writer and journalist, leaves Rome aboard a Vespa and in March 1993 reaches Saigon. It will be repeated several times: in 1994-95, again on a Vespa, he covered the 36,000 kilometers that separate Alaska from Tierra del Fuego. In 1995-96, departing from Melbourne in Australia, he arrived in Cape Town and covered more than 52,000 kilometers in twelve months. In 1997 he made the journey from Chile to Tasmania, through the Americas, Siberia, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, for 144,000 kilometers over three years and eight months, with 90 countries crossed. All this for over 250,000 kilometers on a Vespa.

1996 – The new generation of Vespa is born with the ET4 125cc model. For the first time, Vespa adopts a 4-stroke engine and an automatic gearbox.

1996 – Over 15 million Vespas sold.

1997 – Vespa ET2 (50cc) is launched.

1998 – Restyling and front disc brake for Vespa PX, the best-selling scooter model in the world (over two million units since launch).

2000 – The Vespa is back on the US market.

2003 – The return of the Vespone, Vespa GT 125 and Vespa GT 200 are born.

2005 – Vespa LX marks the return to the more classic Vespa lines.

2006 – Vespa celebrates 60 years with the spectacular Vespa 60 ° special series which recovers the colors and style of the first Vespas.

2008 – Vespa 300 GTS Super is the most performing and sporty model in history.

2011 – Vespa 946 is the most exclusive model, devoted to aesthetic and technological perfection that recalls in the name the year of birth – 1946 – of the scooter, symbol of Italian elegance.

2013 – The myth of the Vespa Primavera is back, produced in the 50, 125 and 150 displacements, it renews the myth of the Vespino.

2018 – Vespa Elettrica is born, a contemporary work of art with a technological heart, destined to change the landscape of mobility. Completely silent and very easy to drive, entirely produced in Pontedera, it represents the revolutionary and contemporary soul of a brand that has always been ahead of its time, always remaining at the forefront, always faithful to its values ​​of style and technology.

2021 – Vespa reaches the quota of 19 million units produced and celebrates 75 years with the special Vespa 75th series that dresses the GTS and Primavera families with new elegance.

2022– The Vespa arrives with electronic driving assistance systems, the first scooter in the world to offer these technologies in series.

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