This autonomous, 3D-printed bus starts giving rides in Washington, DC today

The Verge ^ | June 16, 2016 | Tamara Warren

[2ndDivisionVet]

Local Motors, the Arizona-based automaker that crowdsources vehicle design, has introduced a 3D-printed, autonomous, electric shuttle bus that is partially recyclable called Olli. Local Motors says that it's the first vehicle to use IBM Watson’s car-focused cognitive learning platform, Watson Internet of Things (IoT) for Automotive.

It’s a boxy, far-out concept that may be the first of its kind, but that’s the point for a company that isn’t focused only on making vehicles — it’s about remaking the car manufacturing business. If all goes according to plan, Olli will be giving autonomous rides at the company’s introductory event on the new National Harbor campus today. The facility, located less than 10 miles from Washington, DC, is part 3D printing demo lab and part inventor playroom, including a new STEM program for kids that demonstrates recycling of printed cars. Local Motors also plans to open new facilities in Knoxville and Berlin this year....

[dp0622]

I’m no genius, and i barely understand 3D printing, but i think in the next 10 or 20 years, it is going to change the world like the WWW did.

[szweig]

“You ain ‘t seen nothing yet!”

[Cowboy Bob]

With 3D printing...who needs the Chinese?

[Vision Thing]

With 3D printing...who needs the Chinese?

the people who make the 3d printers will need the chinese.

But once 3d printers can make other 3d printers, then we can say sayonara to china.

[fella]

Hope it’s got good ac. This time of year DC is 90% with 90 percent humidity. Before ac it was a diplomatic hardship post.

[Secret Agent Man]

Remove all a/c from politicians and govt worker offices.

It will prep them for their afterlife.

[Cronos]

3D printing won't eliminate factories overseas nor change the world like www did.

The main drawback is that the item is printed layer by layer. This is not suitable for all items/materials. It is VERY suitable for certain items that can't be milled/extruded/cast/forged/welded, but not for others.

Also, it is and will remain more expensive than those methods for quite a few items. This doesn't mean that it won't be useful -- it will -- but not for everything.

[The_Media_never_lie]

You can ride this piece of blankety-blank if you like but for me, on the highway I’m sticking with a vehicle that has a steel frame. The reason is obvious.

[Does so]

Not much of a bus...

https://img.rt.com/files/2016.06/original/5764136cc36188195f8b457e.jpg

[exDemMom]

Look at the picture linked in the post under yours. It has a metal cage.

[exDemMom]

It is not very big, but it is kind of cute. Something like that is useless for public transportation—but could have other uses, for instance, as a shuttle for private groups.

[wrench]

Bus? No. Most likely the future of Uber.

[wally_bert]

[headstamp 2]

Its a glorified golf cart.

[Liz]

[Flick Lives]

As is often the case with today’s media, everything gets hyped up. A “3-D printed bus”. makes it sound like the whole thing rolled out of a giant printer. At best, some of the plastic parts may be 3D printed. The frame, the engine, the tires, electronics, are all very conventionally manufactured.

[Cronos]

Layer by layer building as in 3d manufacture leads to a structural weakness in the 3rd (vertical) dimension and the surface is much rougher than by using other methods. 3D is meant for individual, customized products, not using economies of scale or mass production (which is what China specializes in)

Layer-by-layer helps and doesn't helping, depending on the case. If you are using injection moulding for an item, you have strength evenly distributed across the entire item, but 3D has laminate weaknesses along the Z axis

[Cronos]

if it is electric, it can be very useful as a near point-to-point public transport service

[Brookhaven]

The Chinese 3D printers will still work cheaper, because our 3D printers will unionize.