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Self-Driving Shuttle Buses Ride Around the Region

Self-driving shuttles are riding around the area, letting you take a trip and ditch the driver.

Olli the self-driving shuttle bus rolls down the streets of National Harbor all by itself, sensing everything around it.

“It will basically learn the particular route. And once it learns the route, then the vehicle is able to be programmed to run itself,” said Rasheed Walford of Local Motors.

Olli can detect all of the vehicles and cyclists around it and predict another vehicle’s next move. It drives at 10 mph and is layered with extensive GPS and 3D printed parts.

The technology is so advanced, some of it is used by the U.S. military.

You can spot similar autonomous vehicles at the U.S. military’s Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, and Fairfax County is looking into similar technology for the Merrifield area's Mosaic District.

Even though Olli operates without a driver, right now there's someone on board to monitor the ride as an extra safety precaution.

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There’s a lot of testing for now, but the hope is that the vehicle will get into widespread use by the end of the summer.

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