Today is the final day of IMTS 2016 and what a show it was. You can have all the innovation you can consume and more at a show like this.
One of the most exciting technologies on display, was the Olli – a driverless, intelligent and electric vehicle.
In the video above, we take a short trip in the Olli, in which we set off with only the push of a button on a controller used to operate the testable version of the vehicle brought to IMTS 2016.
In the Olli, we moved at an intentionally reduced speed, for safety’s sake and given we were indoors. In a practical application, like mass transit or between airport terminals, the Olli could revolutionize transportation.
Imagine eliminating railed or tracked systems and replacing them with units that could be adaptive to their surroundings and traffic needs.
Local Motors developed the Olli at IMTS with an open source platform that allowed multiple contributors to add their expertise to the design of the vehicle that, from where we sat, seemed production ready.
It’s this kind of advanced technology that we, and many others, got to see at IMTS this year and is a great example of why I don’t understand why more of the young generation, both boys and girls, aren’t more excited about STEM and manufacturing.
People experiencing virtual reality in video games and those who are developing it need to come to IMTS to see how that kind of technology can be used to create virtual solutions that can be translated into real world solutions like the Olli.
The Olli, and electric cars on the road today are proving green transportation for the 21st century is no longer a dream.
If you can’t get excited about this kind of technological innovation, you need to check your pulse.
For more information on IMTS 2016 and future shows, visit www.imts.com.