Meet Olli 2.0-Future Of Transportation
“The future is here,” said John B. Rogers ( Jr, co-founder, and CEO of Local Motors) while introducing Olli 2.0. Local Motors is an Arizona-based automotive OEM that developed an autonomous shuttle Olli 2.0 predecessor of Olli. Olli 2.0 uses advanced 3D printing techniques, along with electric, and self-driving module
The Olli 2.0 is designed for local commutes, campuses and urban city centres as a smart, safe, sustainable transportation option. As opposed to its predecessor, Olli, Olli 2.0 not only uses 50% fewer parts but also its production time is reduced by 50%.
First, 3D printed, self-driven shuttle
Olli was first introduced in 2016 as an on-demand, self-driving shuttle capable of transporting up to 12 passengers for short travelling which was enabled by additive manufacturing, more specifically, a Big Area Additive Manufacturing(BAAM) 3D printer and an IBM Watson IoT platform. This vehicle can be 3D printed and assembled in under 10 hours.
Moreover, Olli is equipped with 360-degree LiDAR scanners which can sense its surroundings in all directions. As a result of 3D printing, the vehicle can be customized for different environments and as per needs. Numerous road tests, including Olli on the streets of Berlin in collaboration with Deutsche Bahn, have led to the 3D-printed shuttle’s recent deployment at Sacramento State University.
Local Motors, which was founded in 2007, and its Olli shuttle are familiar figures in the fledgling autonomous vehicle industry. But they are often overshadowed by the likes of Argo AI, Cruise, Uber, and Waymo. Bigger companies are all pursuing robotaxis designed for cities.
” The public is not going to see New York City with autonomous vehicles running around all the time,” Rogers said.
Campuses, on the other hand, are a sweet spot for companies like Local Motors that want to deploy them. These are the places where mobility is needed and Olli is a passenger-friendly vehicle that is designed with advanced IoT and with complete awareness of its surroundings.
Crash Tested
“Many People Just Ask The Question, ” Is It Safe Or Not”
At an Arizona parking lot in late 2018, a pod-like autonomous shuttle smashed into a wall at the speed of 25 Mph. The glass on the sides of the shuttle shattered, the wheels buckled, and a few small pieces went flying. This wasn’t an accident; it was a crash test. The overall structure of the shuttle held together, which is a little surprising because it was a 3D-printed shuttle Olli.
Local Motors is one of a handful of companies around the world that currently manufactures these low-speed autonomous pods. It aims to set itself apart by not only 3D-printing its vehicles but also by being forthcoming about how safe they are. That is why they released the footage of Olli’s crash test.
Local Motors released the footage for two reasons. They want a jump-start that conversation about the safety of their vehicle. But they are also trying to promote their unique approach to making the Olli in 3D printing.
The two are related. If people are already nervous about an autonomous shuttle, they might get even more nervous when they find out it’s 3D printed. They want to prove that Olli is not only as safe in the present and will be even safer in the future.
One reason that makes people anxious is, that pod-like shuttles that drive themselves on pre-programmed routes are already being tested on public roads on the first day of the very first trial program in the US in 2017, a shuttle got into a crash with a semi-truck. Local Motors was not involved in that, no one got hurt, and it was the human’s fault, but that did not stop headlines like ” World’s first self-driving shuttle crashes on the first day of use”
Local Motors plans to keep updating the public on its crash test results at least every quarter, maybe more. “Their goal is to push the limit on how much they can disclose”.
Olli 2.0
According to Local Motors, Olli 2.0 has been developed with more options including natural language recognition which can be altered to make the system addressable to “Olli.”
Olli and Olli 2.0 are callings. The low-speed vehicle has the same general shape and a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Both have been crash-tested by Local Motors and come with level 4 autonomous capability, a designation by the SAE. It means the vehicle can handle all aspects of driving in certain conditions without human intervention.
Olli 2.0 comes with a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge, according to its Spec-sheet. The manufacturing process has been improved, and Olli 2.0 is now 80% 3D-printed. It has hub motors versus the axle wheel motors in its predecessor. In addition, there are two more seats in Olli 2.0 and new programmable lighting.
As well as voice recognition, Olli 2.0 a cognition from MIT start-up Affectiva enables facial and mood tracking of its passengers and dynamic route optimization. In addition, it offers optimal safety.
But where Olli 2.0 stands out is in the improved user interface. There are more choices for customers looking to customize the shuttle to suit specific needs. As Rogers recently put it, “We can pretty much make anything they ask for with the right partners.”
The outside of Olli 2.0 is outfitted with a PA system and screens on the front and back to address pedestrians. The screen in the front can be shown as eyes, making Olli 2.0 more approachable and anthropomorphic.
Inside the shuttle, riders will find better speakers and microphones and touchscreens. Local Motors has an open API, which allows for an endless number of UI interfaces. For instance, LG is customizing media content for Olli based on the “5G future,” according to Rogers.
AR and VR can also be added if the customer desires. The interior can be changed to suit different needs as well. For instance, a hospital might want fewer seats and more room to transport patients on beds. It’s this kind of customization that Rogers believes will give Local Motors an edge over autonomous shuttle competitors. The way Olli 2.0 communicates has been improved.
The previous version of Olli 2.0 used IBM Watson. The AI platform from IBM, for its natural languages and speech-to-text functions. Olli 2.0 has more options. Natural language voice can use Amazon’s deep learning chatbot services Lex and IBM Watson. Customers can choose one or even combine them. Both can be altered to make the system addressable to “Olli”.
People Behind The Success Of Olli
In the race to deploy autonomous vehicles, Local Motor is a participant that is difficult to categorize or label largely due to how it makes its shuttles.
LMI has a co-creation and low-volume local production business model. The parent company’s Launch Forth Unit manages a digital design community of thousands of engineers and designers. Who co-creates products for customers. Some of those mobility creations go to Local Motors, which uses its low-volume 3D printed micro-factories to build Olli and Olli 2.0. They build other products like the Rally Fighter as well.
This ability to tap into its community and its partnerships with research labs, combined with direct digital manufacturing as well as its micro-factories. This allows it to go from design to mobile prototype in weeks, not months or even years.
In 2016 a Bogota, Colombia man named Edger Sarmiento won the Local Motors challenge to design an urban public transportation system. His design eventually became Olli. New design challenges are constantly being launched to improve the UI and services of Olli, as well as other products.
Future Is Here
Olli 1.0 is deployed on nine campuses across the USA and the most recent one is at the Joint Base Myer- Henderson Hall, a joint base of the U.S. military located around Arlington. Which is made up of Fort Myer, Fort McNair and Henderson Hall. Olli was also introduced recently in Rancho Cordova, near Sacramento, Calif.
Production of Olli 2.0 began in July and deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of this year. In the meantime, three more Olli shuttle deployments are coming up in the next six weeks or so.