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* The setup…
The Illinois Senate on Tuesday passed and sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker a bill that would pave the way for people to use robotic “personal carrying devices” in Illinois.
Those are robotic devices designed to follow their owner around, carrying items that might be too heavy or bulky for the person to carry themselves. One, known as the Gita (pronounced “jee-ta”) is produced by the Italian automotive company Piaggio, which is best known for its Vespa brand of scooters.
Gitas, however, have been slow to enter some markets where laws dealing with traffic and pedestrians haven’t caught up with the new technology.
House Bill 245, which passed the House March 11, would establish a legal framework for using such devices in Illinois. It would provide that the devices be designed to stay within 10 feet of their owners and that the owners or operators have the same rights and obligations of pedestrians, except that they would have to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on a sidewalk or crosswalk. It also provides that the devices cannot be used to transport a person.
In addition, the bill would give local governments authority to enact their own regulations for how the devices are used within their jurisdictions. It also contains a number of consumer protection provisions that would limit legal remedies for damages or injuries caused by the devices or their operators.
* Here it is…
My inner curmudgeon is trying to imagine a couple hundred of those things rolling around the West Loop on a Thursday afternoon.
* The Question: Caption?
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:13 pm
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“Luke, I’m your father — and you are a nerd.”
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:17 pm
I’m sure there would be all kinds of problems, but not as many as self-driving cars are already causing, and it would vastly improve quality of life for many people with limited mobility.
Comment by Commander Norton Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:19 pm
“Aw, c’mon, wait up will ya? Please? I didn’t mean it!”
Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:20 pm
Resistance is futile.
Comment by SSL Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:21 pm
Heal, Hal.
Comment by XonXoff Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:24 pm
West Loop? What about any train station, North Michigan Avenue, or street in the loop?
Then again - I just looked at the video. I have to have one.
Comment by RWP Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:26 pm
Can’t wait to see these things at the Statehouse.
Instead of pages going back and forth to the Stratton, we will have herds of these things crashing into each other in the tunnel and while their human operators take bets on who has the fastest robot.
Comment by Give Me A Break Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:29 pm
“It’s still behind me, isn’t it…”
Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:29 pm
I do get pretty worn out carrying my cod around in a satchel all day. It would be nice to off load it onto one of these little robots - can’t wait to show my pals how I carry it on my new Bag of cod - Gita.
Comment by Shark Sandwich Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:31 pm
Wait, I want to sniff the oil on this fire hydrant.
Comment by Simple Simon Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:31 pm
The new Murse, for a new generation!
Comment by Red Ranger Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:38 pm
Daleks fooled by compact Tardis.
Comment by Nick Name Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:39 pm
-my inner curmudgeon-
Now, if only you would admit this as your excuse for hating GoT, some of us might feel better about your deep-seeded hatred of the show.
Comment by MakePoliticsCoolAgain Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:40 pm
“It’s not a purse, its a European carry-all”
Comment by Red Ranger Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:41 pm
“Excuse me sir, but that R2 unit is in prime condition, a real bargain.”
Nice way to haul beer from the parking lot to the picnic.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:41 pm
===if only you would admit this as your excuse for hating GoT===
I don’t hate it. I just avoid it like the Bubonic Plague.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:41 pm
Officer, I don’t why your dog is barking at it. I don’t know if there are any drugs in it. It’s not mine. It’s just following me…
Comment by My button is broke... Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:47 pm
“Officer, I really don’t know the little blue dude or where he got the five pounds of weed.”
Comment by A Jack Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:48 pm
The Jetsons world continues to inch closer to our reality.
Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:52 pm
Why not just get a mobility scooter and baskets and be done with it? I mean, how lazy are people going to get? (Yes, I know, the limits of laziness have never been found). What happens when the operator is all-consumed by their cellphone, and the device runs over a little old lady who dares to walk upon a public way, unaware that doom is silently approaching in the form of a yo-yo on wheels?
Okay, okay, caption is “Rollin’, rollin’, rolling, though the sidewalks crooked, and my owner’s strollin’, bye, bye!”
Comment by revvedup Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 2:57 pm
It’s always good to see our Legislative Branch focusing on the important issues of our times… For some reason I see most of these being used by youngsters that can’t afford to move out of their parents basements. I wonder if these “personal carrying devices” can climb stairs.
Comment by 618er Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:00 pm
Why a law limiting liability ? Make owners buy insurance like cars. And would be great to carry beer while you walk
Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:20 pm
The dude needs a Segway
Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:20 pm
Enjoy your subsidizes ADA accessibility, Gita.
Comment by Sonny Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:21 pm
I hear my father’s voice, “Get your hands out of your pockets, it looks like your playing with yourself.” Maybe if the guy took his hands out of his pockets he could carry his satchel.
Comment by What's in a name? Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:22 pm
*subsidized.
Blew the hilarious caption.
Comment by Sonny Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:22 pm
I’d follow more closely but your beanie embarrasses me.
Comment by Simple Simon Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:26 pm
R2, R2, where are you?
Comment by d. p. gumby Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:27 pm
*Screaming* “The cost is over $9,000″
Comment by SoapOnRope Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:30 pm
Burn Gita
Comment by PleaseIgnore Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:32 pm
It’s designed intentionally to carry a bushel of apples. It’s May you know.
Comment by A guy Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 3:58 pm
Man’s new best friend.
Comment by Just Sayin' Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:00 pm
We’re definitely evolving backward toward riding horses again.
Comment by A guy Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:00 pm
The Gita carries your belongings…along with what’s left of your self-respect.
Comment by Jocko Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:02 pm
They will need to up the AI in self-driving cars to avoid these devices in the crosswalks (or when one gets loose). I’m not looking forward to the learning curve.
Comment by Res Melius Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:05 pm
If it rains, it grows hair. A Gita Pet
Comment by A guy Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:08 pm
Make no mistake. The day that Skynet becomes self-aware is sure to follow…
Comment by IlliniSpartan Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:17 pm
They see me rollin’
They hatin’
Patrolling and tryin’ to catch me ridin’ dirty
Comment by Stu Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:28 pm
Someone is late to the game. A self propelled suitcase that follows you through the airport debuted at the 2018 Consumer Electronic Show.
https://www.cnet.com/news/this-suitcase-followed-me-around-ces-2018/
A piece of expensive hardware for the person too lazy to use a two wheeled hand truck or dolly.
Comment by Huh? Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:35 pm
I want one similar to the ED-209 from the first Robocop. That way, when a mugger is feeling lucky….well, you know the rest. At least until we get near stairs.
Comment by Stuntman Bob's Brother Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:40 pm
As a result of the legislation owners were able to lease out their personal carrying devices to other entities.
Campaigns seized on the idea and began leasing them in bulk to follow voters home from train stations and bus stops and talk to them about specific candidates.
This came to it’s logical conclusion with the bot wars of 2022
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:53 pm
I wonder how easy it will be to hack them and direct them somewhere else.
Comment by Nobody Sent Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:57 pm
If you ever been to Disney, Orland Square, or Woodfiled Mall with every other person pushing a stroller… I can’t imagine it being any worse.
Comment by Jus' Sayin' Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 4:59 pm
Afraid to be seen in public, Bruce Rauner leaves the trash can van in the garage and travels around in an actual trash can.
Comment by Henry Francis Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 6:04 pm
Nobody told me I had to wear this goofy belt controller. I look like Herb Tarlek.
Comment by Simple Simon Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 6:05 pm
Namaste, Shark Sandwich.
Namaste.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 6:10 pm
Chad was not well read; he had never really read anything other than his Twitter and Instagram feeds. So he felt good when the man told him that the little blue machine was named Ennui, and would follow him around for the rest of his life.
Comment by Quizzical Wednesday, May 22, 19 @ 9:33 pm
Sir, are we headed to a JOB? if so, shouldn’t you take of your bath robe.
Comment by clothes matter Thursday, May 23, 19 @ 8:49 am
No officer those are it’s drugs not mine
Comment by What the? Thursday, May 23, 19 @ 8:50 am
You’ll look like a fool when you have to roll this thing down the street after the battery dies
Comment by Huh? Thursday, May 23, 19 @ 8:56 am