‘Olli’ the Self-Driving Bus Debuts in Maryland

Jennifer van der Kleut

The company Local Motors says autonomous driving may not be as far in the future as many are saying. In fact, their self-driving shuttle “Olli” is ready to hit the roads safely now-all that’s needed is the legal permission to do so.

Local Motors introduced Olli last week on Thursday, June 16 to much fanfare. It is now ready to begin testing at the expansive, popular shopping area called National Harbor in Maryland, just outside Washington D.C.

Olli can seat 12 people, and can be summoned with an app similar to Uber or Lyft, explains Phys.org.

One of the most amazing facts about Olli? It can be “printed” via a 3-D printer in a factory in a matter of a few hours.

“We hope to be able to print this vehicle in about 10 hours and assemble it in another hour,” said Local Motors co-founder and chief executive, John Rogers. He told Phys.org he envisions hundreds of “micro-factories” producing the vehicles around the world, for markets that are ready for them.

Rogers said the shuttles are ready for deployment as soon as laws and regulations will allow them.

Over the next few months, Olli will begin public testing at National Harbor, and is expected to hit other areas like Las Vegas and Miami, as well as international spots like Berlin, Copenhagen and Canberra, Australia in the future.

Olli uses the interface Watson by IBM, which allows users to have “conversations” with Olli, such as to name their destination.

“A vehicle that understands human language, where you can walk in and say, ‘I’d like to get to work’ — that lets you as a passenger relax and enjoy your journey,” Rogers explained.

The vehicle relies on more than 30 sensors and streams of data from IBM’s cloud, Phys.org reports.

“With Watson, passengers can ask about how the vehicle works, where they are going, and why Olli is making specific driving decisions,” Phys.org says. “And it can answer the dreaded driver question, ‘Are we there yet?'”

It also can offer recommendations for popular restaurants or historical sites based on the personal preferences of the passenger.

Rogers said Las Vegas has already purchased two shuttles, and they are in negotiations with Miami-Dade for testing as well. All in all, they have had or are currently in discussions with 50 locations across the globe.

According to CNBC, a Local Motors spokespersons says it is quite possible that several hundred Ollis could be on public roads in different locations by the end of this year.