3-D printing, industry 4.0, electric and driverless buses: this could be a list of the latest trends in early 2018, but it’s not.
In fact, it’s a set of key words that describe Olli, the new minibus developed by Local Motors.
As you have probably understood, Olli is an electric, driverless bus for public transport systems.
As a public transport solution that combines artificial intelligence and sustainability, it’s already at the forefront of innovation.
But if we tell you that it’s printed in 3-D in 4.0 micro-factories, you’re likely to accuse us of confusing you with buzzwords that have no real meaning.
However, that’s what makes Olli unique. Anyway, what is a 4.0 micro-factory? First, it’s a small factory, meaning that the buses can be manufactured locally.
Second, 3-D printing means that buses can be manufactured on demand using additive manufacturing techniques. This reduces waste, cuts tooling costs by 50% and production time by 90%.
3-D printing also makes customization far easier, but Local Motors doesn’t stop there – it applies an open source design process and encourages novice engineers to take part in co-creation programs as well as helping to improve Olli’s user interface and other specific features.
Who said you couldn’t build a community around 4.0 manufacturing?
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