BILL KURTIS: 2016 was also a great year for innovation in tech, as we discussed with our panel back in May.
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PETER SAGAL, HOST:
Adam, one of the biggest safety issues on the road is cars hitting pedestrians, of course. So to make their driverless cars safer, Google has taken out a patent that, if put into effect, will make their cars what?
ADAM FELBER: Sticky.
SAGAL: That's right, Adam.
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SAGAL: And do you know why?
FELBER: Because getting hit by a car is a bad thing, but it's those secondary hits that are really - that'll really mess you up. So Google says, why don't we invent a sticky substance that fits on our bumper so that when we accidentally hit somebody...
FAITH SALIE: We stay there?
FELBER: ...They'll stick there?
SAGAL: Yes. Yes, Adam is exactly right because a lot of injuries are caused not by the initial impact, but by the things that the pedestrians are thrown into, be it...
FELBER: Yeah.
SAGAL: ...Other cars or the street.
PAULA POUNDSTONE: Also, it's a cautionary tale, really, for pedestrians after that.
SAGAL: Yeah.
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SAGAL: So they - no...
SALIE: Right, 'cause...
POUNDSTONE: The car doesn't pull over right away.
FELBER: No, it parades around town.
SALIE: It's driving around...
POUNDSTONE: Exactly.
SALIE: ...With a person stuck on it like Velcro.
SAGAL: Yeah.
POUNDSTONE: Right.
FELBER: You know, the person stuck to it will have their cell phone in one hand.
SAGAL: Yeah.
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SAGAL: It'll be great. You put this on Ubers, they won't have to slow down to pick you up. You just step in front of them. Whoa.
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SAGAL: And off you go.
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SAGAL: When we come back, we present the best way to cure your Facebook addiction and we enable your addiction to the "Property Brothers." It's kind of a mixed message. That's all coming up in a minute on WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME from NPR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.