Olli is a 3D Printed, IBM Watson-Powered, Self-Driving Minibus (phys.org) 50
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.
Bingo (Score:2)
Not enough buzz words. (Score:5, Insightful)
They need to throw in "drone" and "fuel cell" at least.
Re: (Score:2)
Not invented by Elon Musk, not funded by bitcoin, doesn't have a guns and isn't being used to get more girls interested in tech.
Does not belong on slashdot.
NO. (Score:5, Insightful)
It is *not* in any way, shape, or form "3D printed". This is a vehicle built from mass produced materials, with what appears to be an ungly 3D printed trim around the wheel arch.
The glass, the tires, the frame, the motor(s)?, the batteries, the chairs, none of that was 3D printed.
Then why call it a 3D printed bus? It would work perfectly fine without the ugly 3D trim.
Could we PLEASE stop with the 3D printing hype?
NO ONE is 3D printing cars or houses, OK?
Re: (Score:1)
Yes, we ARE 3D printing houses.
Re: (Score:2)
As far as I've heard, there are groups printing the shells of houses. They don't do the plumbing, wiring, windows, doors, or non-load-bearing walls. Or the final exterior finish. And I've probably left out a few other things that they don't print.
P.S.: This is still highly worthwhile, if you want a house made of the material being printed (often concrete [but I don't think they include rebar]).
Re: (Score:2)
3D printing houses was probably the first big 3D printing business. They just simply did not call it that way.
For the rest I agree :D
Re: (Score:2)
You've got a point...but it's a tiny one. There exist 3-d printers that can print in mixes of media, so that, in principle, you could print everything except the windows. This would be a very bad idea, as repairs would be nearly impossible, and it would also be very expensive as multi-media printers that can handle both metals and non-metals are quite expensive even before you start considering durability.
Re: (Score:1)
Perhaps they are 3D Printing an IBM Watson to run each of these vehicles.
If not, how does the attached IBM Watson peripheral scale? Can 10 vehicles operate at once controlled by the Watson? 1000?
What about safety? (Score:2)
The article was very buzzwordy, but said nothing at all about any safety testing. Looking at the thing, my first impression is it might fall apart in a low-speed fender bender.
Hmmm... (Score:2)
I know that this isn't what they're referring to... but I immediately had a mental image of a bus controlled by a constantly learning neural net, with each of the passengers being able to reward or punish the network based on its behavior via a smartphone app (which also lets the AI keep track of who is on the bus, and maybe even where they are when they're not on the bus, for "predictive pickup"), and trigger some "destination" input neurons (which everyone would see on their app)
Now, when I say "control"
Re: (Score:2)
If there's a reward system, all it will take is one moderately determined misanthrope to crash all the buses. And when I say "crash," I mean the in the "car analogy" sense.
Printed, my ass! (Score:2)
We're probably talking just the housings and maybe parts of the chassis. I beat all of the electrics, for a starters, are purchased.
Doh! typo "bet" (Score:2)
Hate it when I do that.
Impending therapy. (Score:2)
... a 3D-printed minibus capable of carrying 12 people. It's powered by IBM's supercomputer platform Watson.
I wonder if Watson will ever end up bored and depressed like Marvin [wikipedia.org], having a brain the size of a planet, but seldom, if ever, given the chance to use it. Perhaps he too will have a small rat friend.
"Powered" by Watson?! You people are insane. (Score:1)
It is controlled by Watson. What it is powered by, nobody is saying, not even the article.
Re: (Score:2)
That's great news, because it should cost a lot less to get a ride in Olli since there's always something on sale on Steam.
tell it to drive to chicago and end up in Toronto (Score:2)
Just hope it stops for customs and does not think it's just an tollbooth to plow though.
The real future (Score:2)
Some people thing self driving cars are the future, but the REAL future is when you ordering an Uber means Olli comes and poops you out a car to use however you like for the day, then it just dissolves and the sewer system routes the remnants back to Olli.
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We could do that back in the 70's with $.50 of blotter acid.
coming (Score:2)
Been saying that for almost two years now: The real future of self-driving cars is not to replace your car in your garage, but to replace taxis and busses. We have everything around it - we have taxis, we have rental cars and car-sharing. A self-driving car is the perfect merger of all of these. Summon when you need it, when you're done no need to search for parking, it just goes its merry way to the next customer or to find parking by itself if it needs to wait for one.
The first company to make this happen
Re: (Score:2)
I nevertheless give up my car ... I don't think there are many places in Europe where you "need" a car.
Also: if my car was self driving, I still could read a book while it goes where I ever had to drive myself.
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The first company to make this happen will replace Uber before they know what hit them.
Except that Uber is one of the companies most actively researching auto-driving vehicles.
Wow, we really live In the Future (tm) (Score:1)
So now they're printing tires, and motors, and batteries (or is it engines and transaxels?), and full up GPS nav systems, and sensors, and Unicorns that piss large panes of automotive glass.
Re: (Score:2)
Not (Score:2)
>"While Local Motors has developed the system to control the driving, IBM's Watson system is used to provide the user interface"
So it is NOT powered by Watson. Drat, and all this time, I thought my computer was powered by the firmware in my monitor or mouse...
Olli? (Score:1)