An anonymous reader writes from a report via Phys.Org: Arizona-based startup Local Motors unveiled Olli — a 3D-printed minibus capable of carrying 12 people. It’s powered by IBM’s supercomputer platform Watson and is designed as an on-demand transportation solution that passengers can summon with a mobile app. The company claims it can be “printed” to specification in “micro factories” in a matter of hours. They say it is ready to go as soon as regulations allow it to hit the streets. While Local Motors has developed the system to control the driving, IBM’s Watson system is used to provide the user interface so passengers can have “conversations” with Olli. “Watson is bringing an understanding to the vehicle, ” said IBM’s Bret Greenstein. “If you have someplace you need to be you can say that in your own words. 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, ” he said. The vehicle relies on more than 30 sensors and streams of data from IBM’s cloud. Olli will be demonstrated in National Harbor, Maryland, over the next few months with additional trials expected in Las Vegas and Miami. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Olli is a 3D Printed, IBM Watson-Powered, Self-Driving Minibus
