3D printing is moving forward at a rapid pace, and it looks like the technology can now enable the creation of actual cars and even busses. The autonomous electric minibus that you’re looking at right was designed by Local Motors, and it was put together using mostly 3D printed parts. What makes it stand out, however, is that it relies on IBM’s Watson question answering computer system, which can provide a generous amount of information on demand. Dubbed Oli, the vehicle will be tested as part of a few trial runs in Washington DC, but the good news is that Miami and Las Vegas citizens will also get to see it in late 2016.
Furthermore, Local Motors plans to introduce these buses in other cities outside of the US such as Berlin, Canberra, and Copenhagen, and even though it’s not exactly clear if regular people will be able to test it, you can always ask your local authorities if the bus will arrive in your city anytime soon. If it ever receives approval to roam the streets without any supervision, Oli was designed to be summoned via an Uber-like app. Local Motors seems to have big plans for the future, as co-founder John Rogers plans to build hundreds of micro-factories all over the world that would be able to 3D print Oli in 10 hours and put it together in just one hour.
