Meet Olli, the self-driving bus designed for people with disabilities

An electric shuttle bus designed to serve passengers with disabilities "could be among the earliest self-driving vehicles on U.S. roads," said Elizabeth Woyke at Technology Review​. Olli, which is being developed by IBM and independent carmaker Local Motors, "combines artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and smartphone apps" to serve people with disabilities.

The bus doesn't have a driver, but uses artificial intelligence to communicate with passengers via voice and text. IBM is working to outfit Olli with a number of assistive technologies. Olli could guide passengers to open seats by using "ultrasound to pro­ject sensations through the air," for instance. For hearing-impaired passengers, Olli could communicate in sign language via onboard screens or smartphones. The buses are expected to enter production in summer 2018.

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