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Mitchell Weiss Joins Piaggio Fast Forward Executive Team as Chief Technology OfficerPiaggio Fast Forward, a company formed to pioneer the future of light mobility by fundamentally rethinking the movement of people and goods, announced that Mitchell Weiss is joining the executive team as Chief Technology Officer. As CTO at Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF), Weiss will be responsible for engineering and production of PFF's lightweight mobility products. He joins PFF from Seegrid Corporation, the first producer of vision-guided industrial vehicles, where he was responsible for engineering, production, and technology development. Prior to that, Weiss was CTO for Brooks Automation (News - Alert), a supplier of advanced factory automation systems used by semiconductor manufacturers and equipment suppliers. Previously in his career, Weiss founded ProgramMation, Inc., which was acquired by PRI Automation, and co-founded United States Robots, which was acquired by Square D (News - Alert). "Mitch has an incredible record of successfully bringing robotics and automation products to market," said Jeffrey Schnapp, CEO, Piaggio Fast Forward. "His laser focus on creating reliable products for widespread use will be a tremendous asset as we scale the company and prepare to bring our lightweight mobility products to market." PFF debuted a prototype of Gita, its first lightweight mobility product, earlier this year. Gita is a mobile-carrier that follows people on the go, carrying up to 44 pounds. Gita encourages an active lifestyle for anyone who wants to move wth ease. Designed to accompany people at speeds from a crawl, to a walk, to a jog, Gita is a new way to get out the door without reaching for the keys to the car. Gita is currently being used in pilots across the United States and abroad. "Piaggio Fast Forward has a unique pedigree for such a young company that revolves around an unwavering focus on design and human interaction as core components of their product development," said Mitchell Weiss, CTO, Piaggio Fast Forward. "The energy and vision of the team, along with the legendary history of Piaggio Group, makes this a great opportunity to positively impact the future of mobility." Weiss is the co-author of the textbook "Industrial Robotics: Technology, Programming and Applications." He has taught automation and robotics courses at the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University, and engineering design at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is vice-chair of ASTM Committee F45, which is developing standards for the performance measurement of unmanned ground vehicles. About Piaggio Fast Forward PFF was founded in 2015 by the Piaggio Group to pioneer the intelligent movement of people and goods. The company's mission is to help people move better, further and faster, in ways that have not been possible before. PFF's core product is Gita, a mobile-carrier that follows people on the go carrying up to 44 pounds. Gita encourages an active lifestyle for anyone who wants to move with ease, from millennials and parents to seniors and disabled individuals; it's your answer for getting out the door without having to reach for the keys to the car. PFF seeks to promote walkable, livable, vibrant communities filled with enhanced transportation options that enrich the lives of all. PFF is based in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.piaggiofastforward.com or follow the company on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171214005228/en/ |
