by Alanna Ketler, Collective-Evolution
Finally, a car that’s actually smarter than you! Well, unless you’re smarter than IBM’s supercomputer Watson, who won Jeopardy about five years ago and is now being put to the streets. Watson has become a key component of Olli, the self driving, fully electric vehicle produced by Arizona based company Local Motors, which specializes in 3D-printed vehicles.
Designed as an on-demand transportation solution, Olli is a 3D-printed minibus that can be requested for a pick-up with a mobile app similar to the increasingly popular Uber. Unlike most taxis, however, these vehicles can be printed to specification in a matter of hours.
In a news release, IBM announced last Thursday that Olli has started operating on roads in National Harbour, D.C., the site of a new local motors facility.
Olli can fit up to 12 people and amazingly, can act just like a regular cab driver, even holding conversations with its passengers thanks to the Watson Internet of Things system. Wondering where to go for dinner? Just ask Olli! Watson software can even help you decide what type of cuisine you’d like.
This new self-driving vehicle was designed with consumers in mind, meant to create “a more pleasant, comfortable, intuitive and interactive experience for riders as they journey in autonomous vehicles,” says IBM.