California’s Electric Companies Submit Plans for More EV Charging Stations

California’s leading electricity providers recently released plans to install more than 10,000 EV charging stations across the state. Outlines for these new plug-in points nudge forward efforts to mainstream electric vehicles by growing California’s fledgling network of charging resources.

Last week, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) each submitted proposals to the California Public Utilities Commission asking for funding “to help accelerate the transition to electric transportation.”

Proposed strategies focus on facilitating charge capability for passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as heavy-duty and industrial equipment. If the plans pass, the project would cost electric customers nearly $1 billion in financing fees.
The suggested upgrades have arrived in tandem with California’s upcoming midterm review of its Zero-Emission Vehicle Program. Resulting from recent state senate initiatives in support of sustainability, the ZEV program aims to halt greenhouse emissions by putting 1.5 million clean-energy vehicles on the road by 2025. ZEV efforts fronted by governor Jerry Brown are credited with contributing to California’s swelling plugable car count, which exceeded 250,000 in November 2016.

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Amazon Patent Hints at Self-Driving Car Plans

Amazon is continuing research into self-driving cars, according to a patent filed in November 2015 and newly approved last Tuesday. The patent proposes a fix for issues involving reversible lanes, or lanes that shift direction according to patterns in traffic movement.

Amazon’s patent notes that information on traffic direction in a reversible lane may not be available upon a self-driving car’s approach, which could potentially result in head on collisions. To prevent this, the patent suggests a system which shares data provided by multiple self-driving cars to optimize vehicle routes and plan for possible dangers.    

Besides preventing disasters, the patent’s proposals could solve the efficiency problems reversible lanes currently present to manned drivers. By analyzing traffic in reversible lanes, Amazon’s self-driving cars could develop optimal routes ahead of time, avoiding not only accidents, but major traffic.

Self-driven transportation seems to be a major focus of Amazon’s logistical development. Although the patent reveals little about exactly how Amazon plans to approach the self-driving scene, it’s clear that the tech giant is at least intrigued by the prospect of autonomous delivery systems; Amazon acquired robotics developers Kiva Systems in 2012 and has since begun implementing robotics tech to automate and expand its shipping services.

Also intriguing is the fact that Amazon’s self guided drone program, Prime Air, is spearheading research into self-driving cars. Prime Air’s technical advisor, Jim Curlander, was credited as a co-author of Amazon’s reversible lane patent.

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Preseason Profiles: Clemson and Alabama

Preseason Profiles: Clemson and Alabama

Two years ago Alabama and Clemson fought in one of the fiercest championship matchups college football has seen. Alabama took victory, but Deshaun Watson and his Tigers rested, recouped and roared back in 2016, answering Alabama with a competitive 13-1 season. Again Clemson stood against the Crimson Tide, but this was different. This time the Tide was outlasted. Watson’s touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow during the 2016 season championship’s final two seconds earned Clemson sweet redemption.

So what will happen next year? Here’s a peek at how both team’s lineups will look come 2017’s preseason:

Alabama

Alabama’s strong defense will have some departures to deal with, but its offense looks to swing back stronger. Returning weapons include leading rusher Damien Harris, playoff standout Bo Scarbrough and Calvin Ridley. QB Jalen Hurts will take the field for his sophomore year, commanding what some say could be Nick Saban’s best offensive lineup to date.

Clemson
Clemson faces some heavy losses coming into 2017. The departure of QB Deshaun Watson will likely hurt the most, since the 2016 Tigers rallied behind Watson’s leadership. Losing offensive stars like Mike Williams and Artavis Scott will sting, and Clemson’s defense will also be without talents like Ben Boulware, Carlos Watkins and Jadar Johnson. Competition for the spot of new QB looks to heat up between junior Kelly Bryant, and freshmen Zerrick Cooper and Hunter Johnson.

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Smartphones Replacing Infotainment Systems In Cars

If you’ve purchased a new car recently, you’ve likely considered the value of in-vehicle infotainment. Designed to streamline onboard media access, these multimedia systems display app-based information on a central screen in your car.

Car manufacturers claim infotainment services simplify in-car navigation, music selection and sms/social media access. However, according to an article published by Business Insider, the results of a recent study indicate that consumers may not share the same enthusiasm for in-vehicle entertainment. This is especially true since many infotainment flagship features (gps and music services, traffic updates, and hands-free messaging) are easily and cheaply accessible by smartphone.

Conducted by Kristin Kolodge, J.D Power’s executive director of human-machine interface, the study surveyed 13,269 people who bought or leased a 2016 vehicle. Kolodge found that more than 50% of new car buyers didn’t use in-vehicle infotainment systems within 90 days of purchasing their vehicle. Of the remainder who did attempt to use infotainment, 56% reported giving it up within one month.

Additionally, the study revealed that 39% of individuals who didn’t take to infotainment instead relied on smartphones for similar services. Kolodge believes that the reason for infotainment rejection centers around the ease of use and familiarity of smartphones.

“It’s easier because they learned on their phone and might feel it’s better able to execute their tasks. That’s what manufacturers are up against,” says Kolodge. She states that users experience difficulty figuring out the infotainment unfamiliar control scheme, so they abandon it.

Other reasons for infotainment wane include its inability to match the lightning rate at which smartphone tech is evolving. Cars require years to plan, manufacture, and test. By the time new cars exit development and enter the market, their hardware is already painfully aged compared to current mobile offerings.

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Smartphones Replacing Infotainment Systems In Cars

If you’ve purchased a new car recently, you’ve likely considered the value of in-vehicle infotainment. Designed to streamline onboard media access, these multimedia systems display app-based information on a central screen in your car.

Car manufacturers claim infotainment services simplify in-car navigation, music selection and sms/social media access. However, according to an article published by Business Insider, the results of a recent study indicate that consumers may not share the same enthusiasm for in-vehicle entertainment. This is especially true since many infotainment flagship features (gps and music services, traffic updates, and hands-free messaging) are easily and cheaply accessible by smartphone.

Conducted by Kristin Kolodge, J.D Power’s executive director of human-machine interface, the study surveyed 13,269 people who bought or leased a 2016 vehicle. Kolodge found that more than 50% of new car buyers didn’t use in-vehicle infotainment systems within 90 days of purchasing their vehicle. Of the remainder who did attempt to use infotainment, 56% reported giving it up within one month.

Additionally, the study revealed that 39% of individuals who didn’t take to infotainment instead relied on smartphones for similar services. Kolodge believes that the reason for infotainment rejection centers around the ease of use and familiarity of smartphones.

“It’s easier because they learned on their phone and might feel it’s better able to execute their tasks. That’s what manufacturers are up against,” says Kolodge. She states that users experience difficulty figuring out the infotainment unfamiliar control scheme, so they abandon it.

Other reasons for infotainment wane include its inability to match the lightning rate at which smartphone tech is evolving. Cars require years to plan, manufacture, and test. By the time new cars exit development and enter the market, their hardware is already painfully aged compared to current mobile offerings.

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Golden State Warriors Season Update

With over half of the season already in the books, this would be a good time to check in on the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Basketball fans will note that at this point last season, the Warriors were sitting with an astonishing 48-4 record after starting the season off with a record 24 wins in a row.

The 2016-17 season started with the highest of expectation as the Warriors were able to lure superstar Kevin Durant over in free agency from the Oklahoma Thunder. There was little doubt that a starting quintet that included two-time league MVP Stephen Curry and All-star Klay Thompson joining forces with an offensive juggernaut like Durant was going to create problems for the rest of the league.

The only surprise so far this season is the five losses the team has suffered, with two of those losses coming at home against San Antonio and Houston. However, the Warriors are certainly entitled to an adjustment period while they work on integrating Durant into an offensive scheme that relies on precision passing and outstanding 3-point shooting.

Of course, it’s hard to ask anymore out of a team that is leading the league in scoring at 118.3 PPG and field-goal percentage at .501%. Without trying to place any blame on a specific player, a couple of the team’s early season losses occurred while Thompson struggled to find his stroke and his rightful position on the court. All concerns about his ability to still put up big points were surely set aside when he laid down a scorching 60 points against the Indiana Pacers in less that 30 minutes on the court. That number just missed the NBA record for points per minute as Thompson scored 2.07 PPM versus the record of 2.09 PPM.

As for the rest of the team, everyone seems to be settling in nicely to the new player rotation scheme as laid down by Head Coach Steve Kerr. On the season, Durant holds a scoring edge over Steph Curry, averaging 25.7 PPG while Curry is averaging 25.3 PPG. Draymond Green, continues to be a very important component on a team that has designs for another NBA Championship. It’s worth noting that Green, as a forward, leads the team in assists with 7.3 per game. That’s an amazing accomplishment on a team that is leading the league in assists by a large margin. It’s also a testament to how deep this team is and why they are favorites to take down the league title.

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Google’s Alphabet Inc. Company and Their Self-driving Service

In 2009, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc, began the daunting task of researching and developing autonomous, or self-driving vehicles. This endeavor was aptly titled the “self-driving car project.” By 2012, their autonomous technology had clocked in more than 300,000 miles of driving time on freeways and highways. In the same year, they began to test their vehicles on city streets.

By 2014, Google had developed their own self-driving vehicle prototype, and tested said prototype on public roads the following year. Throw in another 2 million self-driven miles and an additional 1 billion miles of simulated tests with their technology, and, in 2016, the project became its own business entity called Waymo.

It was with the creation of Waymo that Google announced their official intent to join the ever-growing market of automated cars and compete with rivals such as Tesla and Uber. According to CEO John Krafcik, Waymo stands for “A new way forward in mobility,” and that with the concept in mind, they have big plans for the future. He stated that he could see their self-driving technology being used for ride-sharing, transportation, personal-use, and beyond.

In May of 2016, Google partnered with Fiat-Chrysler to begin integrating their minivans with Google’s self-driving system. This pairing proved beneficial for both companies, since Fiat would not have to spend the money developing their own technology, and Google would have more time to perfect their self-driving technology.

As of today, Google is using its autonomous technology in vehicles that are still equipped with a gas pedal and steering wheel, to appease state’s regulations. The goal, says Krafcik, is to get to a point where those elements are not necessary.

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Uber and Self-Driving Cars

In 2015, ride-share company Uber partnered with Carnegie Mellon University to create the Advanced Technology Center. The goal was to make self-driving cars a consumer reality. The National Robotics Engineering Center was also involved with the project, and took on the task of researching vehicle safety.

In August, cars took to the streets of Pittsburgh. Currently, there are 14 autonomous Ford Fusion’s in Uber’s fleet. When a user requests a car, they’ll get one of the test Fusions, if available. A driver is also present for safety control.

Journalists got early access to the fleet, and reporters from NPR, TechCrunch, and Wired have all shared their experiences with Uber’s self-proclaimed cars of the future. The reporters’ stories are generally consistent with one another. The driver has the option to switch off the autonomous mode and go manual, as was the case for several obstacles in the road.

Uber refers to Pittsburgh as “the double black diamond of driving”: the city experiences four distinct seasons that create a wide variety of driving conditions. Its roads are also full of potholes, and the city arrangement includes a unique grid and several bridges. They’ve contrasted this approach with Google’s self driving cars, which operate exclusively in the Silicon Valley sun. Uber believes that all of these variables make Pittsburgh one of the more challenging cities for driving. They figure if they can perfect autonomous ridesharing there, then expansion to other cities will be easier.

In the long term, Uber envisions a world where even the safety driver isn’t necessary. Eliminating the human aspect of driving, they believe, will make roads safer.

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What We Know About The Chevy Bolt

The Chevrolet Bolt EV is due to be released later this year, and is expected to compete closely with the Tesla Model 3. Right now, it looks like Chevy will be beating Tesla to market. According to USA Today, The Model 3 is planned to be widely released in mid- or late-2017, with new orders not set for delivery until 2018.

Beating Tesla’s car to market could be good news for Chevrolet. GM’s entry-level company has boasted that the Bolt’s range can best that of its Tesla competitor. Chevrolet’s electric vehicle is expected to clear over 235 miles per charge, compared to the Model 3’s 215.

The Verge Transportation Reporter Jordan Golson took to the digital publication to share an extensive preview of the new electric vehicle, along with his notes from a test drive. The big takeaway? It doesn’t feel like an electric car. It feels like an ordinary four-wheeled road ready vehicle, and that familiar feel may be able to push consumers in the direction of electric vehicles.

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Google Duo Update

Late this past Summer, Google entered into the video messaging space when they launched Duo. In an announcement on the company blog, they highlighted the 1-to-1 video app’s simple design and intuitive interface. One of its primary goals is to provide users with a seamless video chat. To do this, the app will actively adjust call quality depending on available bandwidth. It can also switch between wifi and cellular data so that calls won’t drop when a signal does. Duo can also be used with an Android device to place calls to an iOS device. This lets it compete with FaceTime which is only compatible with Apple products.

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Aetna + Apple Watch

Aetna wants to make Apple Watches more accessible, reports CNET. The health insurance provider announced plans to launch a program that will allow partners to provide employees with the smartwatch for a reduced rate, and possibly for no cost at all. The brief report likens this decision to provide the technology to subsidizing gym memberships and activity trackers. The Apple Watch has already drawn some comparisons to popular fitness tracker fitbit, and it makes sense that an insurance provider would like to make it easier to access tools that can help monitor an individual’s health. At their most recent World Wide Developer’s Conference, Apple unveiled an improved HealthKit, a developer’s tool that stores health and wellness information across iOS and watchOS devices.

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EV Charging Solutions

Electric vehicle sales are climbing. But  some consumers are hesitant to make the switch because of concerns that EVs can’t carry them long distances. And as long as charging infrastructure remains sparse, this is a valid concern. But the problem of too few charging stations may have found a (temporary) solution in the sharing economy.

Scientific American profiled the “Airbnbs of charging”, networks that allow users to offer use of their private EV outlets. These listings supplement public outlets provided by cities, local entrepreneurs and corporate investments. Right now, there are 13,925 public charging stations in America. But taking private listings into account increase that number increases. This is true outside of the US, too. In Sweden, Renault Group’s Elbnb app has increased the number of available stations by 40%.

But the network of charging stations is not without its faults. There is no standardized outlet, so any given EV may not be able to plug into the station that’s available. There’s also the issue of time— it can take several hours to charge your vehicle. This presents an issue on an individual level (getting behind schedule on a business or road trip), and a shared one (potential wait times to use a private station). Before setting out on a trip, sometimes one isn’t sure of where charging stations will be along the route. The private model is an improvement but is a potential disaster for scheduling and trip planning.

Plugshare is a company that is trying to fix that. While they allow users to list their private stations, they also want to install charging stations alongside highways. This way, drivers can have a better idea of when and where they can charge.

Plugging in isn’t the only “charging” concern. What about money? As the article points out, using solar panels makes sharing your charger virtually free. But only a handful of states has legislation that clarifies the resale of electric energy. Some EV manufacturers like Tesla and Nissan are offering free use of their charging networks for a limited time. Others are charging fees based on time spent at the station or by the kWH.

This hasn’t solved all the problems, but there are plenty of solutions being explored.

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Fighting Mosquitoes with Mosquitoes

Since 2015, Zika has been a public health concern in most of the Western Hemisphere. But biotech startup MosquitoMate is furthering prevention efforts by attempting to sterilize disease-carrying mosquito populations.

For the past year, researchers have worked on a way to prevent the spread of the virus. The mosquito that transmits the virus, Aedes Aegypti, is more aggressive than other mosquito species. They bite humans both during day and night, and need a minimal amount of water to lay their eggs.

Wired has profiled the MosquitoMate’s experiments with mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia microbe. While scientists aren’t sure why,  Wolbachia disrupts the reproductive process. When the microbe is present in one or both mating mosquitoes, the resulting eggs are not able to hatch. MosquitoMate is basing their efforts on this research. The lab is infecting the eggs of Aedes Albopictus, a related mosquito that can mate with Aegyptius, with Wolbachia. The insects arethen released into Clovis California, a Zika hotspot. Hundreds of thousands are expected to be released by the end of summer to maximize potential mates for Aegypti females. Once the eggs are laid, they shouldn’t hatch. An upside to these efforts is that the males don’t bite; only females do, to lay their eggs.

The solution sounds straightforward but is still experimental. It’s also difficult to implement nationwide because different states have different processes for getting such a procedure approved. For example, the EPA oversees the procedure in California. The same procedure in Florida, on the other hand, involves more FDA oversight—  which can be slow to approve an experiment like this. The problem is compounded by the fact that Florida is one of the states with the highest Zika-transmission risk.

Bureaucratic hurdles aren’t the only issue MosquitoMate and similar labs face. The community needs to be on board too. Some are suspicious of the procedure, and others find the thousands of new mosquitoes— even though they don’t bite— to be a nuisance. Researchers are hopeful that Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes will reduce the disease-carrying agents, but it is suffering from a negative public perception. To combat this, the lab has been engaging in community education and outreach efforts.

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Tesla’s AutoPilot

An innovative step Tesla took four years ago is now putting them well ahead of the autonomous car competition. In 2012 the automotive manufacturer introduced an around the clock cellular internet connection. As MIT Tech Review’s Tom Simonite has pointed out, this connectivity has proved to be what Tesla needs to make it’s own self-driving cars smarter and safer.

Tesla can use this connection to gather data to help guide its initiative toward self-driving cars. This connection allow Tesla to retrieve data from drivers, observing how a human reacts and behaves on the road in a variety of situations, including light traffic vs. heavy traffic or clear vs. stormy conditions. This data is then used as a benchmark for its constantly self-driving technology.

But Tesla isn’t limited to just pulling observational data. According to Sterling Anderson, Tesla’s Autopilot Program director, the company can upload new software to cars on the road. This constant stream of data exchange has put the auto manufacturer ahead of its primary competitors like Google and (according to some rumors) Apple.

Eighteen months ago Tesla began installing new sensors onto its vehicles, under the premise that they were a part of a new auto-brake feature. But underneath that selling point was the fact that the sensors would also detect nearby objects on the road, enabling engineers to see exactly how drivers were reacting to them on a day-to-day basis. Anderson boasts that every ten hours Tesla receives one million miles of data, and since the sensors became standard in 2014 they have accrued 780 million miles’ worth of driver data.

This information only makes their autonomous software better, and if it performs well against the data, it’s uploaded to the cars for the feedback loop to begin once more. When the software is used on a self-steering vehicle, they can accurately see how well it holds up to a human standard. By leveraging a large data set from real world drivers, Tesla looks to be able to quickly iterate on its self-driving software.

Even though software updates are regularly being installed on Tesla’s vehicles, drivers needn’t worry about autopilot actually taking over when the driver is behind the wheel. But a major issue that Tesla needs to address if/when autopilot is made available is human responsibility. Some drivers, expecting self-driving cars to function free of error, can behave recklessly and find themselves unprepared to take over in case of a malfunction. Google, for example, ran tests where employees were allowed to use self-driving cars. The results were troubling: one employee, while traveling at 65 miles per hour, actually plugged in his cellular device to his laptop. Google has completely restructured its program, but Tesla is still convinced that Autopilot can coexist with responsible human driving practices.

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Hanergy’s Solar Cars

Chinese renewable energy company Hanergy has announced the launch of four models of solar-powered cars. These vehicles feature solar panels on the hood and the roof that, when fully extended, can provide a full charge in about six hours. Although Hanergy appears to be focused on the photovoltaic capabilities, they are best thought of as supplementary. With ideal conditions (cloudless, smogless skies) a full charge is only enough to power the cars for 50 miles. However, they do contain lithium-ion batteries to store energy, and can be charged at stations for longer trips.

Hanergy has been looking to develop solar-powered cars for some time now and had been ready to release prototypes in 2015, but an investigation into the possibility of artificially set stock prices put that work on hold.

Stephen Engle of Bloomberg news has provided some criticism of the car’s clean energy capabilities and company leadership. While the count of 50 miles per charge is lower than some would hope, Hanergy has projected that their cells’ solar energy conversion rate will increase from 31.6% to 42% by 2025.

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The Biggest Loser?

Earilier this summer, a special report from The New York Times shared several findings published in the journal Obesity that provide insight into health, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. By following up with contestants from the hit NBC reality show The Biggest Loser, a team of researchers from the NIH, Towson University, and the Washington DC VA Medical Center found out why former “losers” struggled mightily to maintain the weight losses they achieved on the show.

One contestant weighed 444 pounds when he was first featured on the primetime program. By the season’s end, he had shed 155 pounds, bringing him to a weight of 289 pounds. Since then, however, he regained 159 pounds, bringing him up to 448 pounds— four pounds heavier than he was before the show began. The article is full of similar examples of weight loss followed by the contestants quickly regaining weight—in fact, 13 of 14 contestants regained weight, and four are now heavier than they were before.

The researchers found that the contestants had a precipitous drop in their Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The BMR determines how many calories a person burns at rest. In people who lose weight the BMR goes down, and the hope is that it will eventually recover. However for the contestants on The Biggest Loser after the conclusion of the show, their BMR remained low. One contestant had to eat 800 calories less a day to maintain his weight.

However, the show’s doctor, Robert Huizenga, questioned the BMR measurements (which were taken six years later) and said it is difficult for most contestants to find or afford adequate ongoing support from specialists and the time to continue to maintain an active lifestyle. Furthermore, the small sample size and lack of controls limited the power of the findings.

Another reason for the failure of the candidates to maintain their weight loss could be related to levels of the hormone leptin, which is involved in regulating hunger and satiety. By the end of the show the leptin levels of most of the contestants had plummeted and failed to recover, allowing hunger and satiety levels to go unchecked, which could explain the subsequent weight gain.

While obesity is a multifaceted issue, the study points out the difficulty in maintaining one’s weight after dramatic weight loss. Most experts recommend losing no more than two pounds per week. It’s not just so that you can adjust to a healthier lifestyle; it’s so your body can learn how to react to the changes.

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The Automotive and Tech Relationship

Bloomberg has shared a piece of data visualization that shows the relationships between automobile manufacturers and tech companies. The complex web highlights manufacturers’ desires to not lose out on profit, despite the (in some places) decreasing role that cars have in everyday life. 

Fiat Chrysler is used as an example. As long as manufacturers and tech companies develop new competing technologies, money is lost in the pursuit of systems that are effectively being researched twice-over. Furthermore, a marriage between the auto-industry and major tech companies ensures that risk— as well as profit— is shared in the long run.

The graphic reveals a few key takeaways. Uber leads the way as far as investors go, with support from Google, Toyota, Tata, and Microsoft. By contrast, Apple failed in partnerships with Daimler and BMW. However it has invested in Didi, a Chinese ride-share company. Didi, in turn, has partnered with Lyft.

Just as interesting as the flow of money is that of personnel. Sometimes, there is a change of personnel between two allied companies— as is the case of Google’s VP of Engineering heading to Uber. On the other hand, the head of Apple’s autonomous car project was hired away by Volkswagen.

Follow this link to see the graphic.

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Where Do We Stand on GMOs?

A critical review in Biotech is the latest voice in the conversation about GMOs and their place in society. The authors, Alexander Y. Panchina and Alexander I. Tuzhikovab, reanalyzed several studies that claimed “technology-related health concerns” with respect to GMOs. Panchina and Tuzhikovab say the evidence for such a correlation was weak, and that the results have contributed to the public opinion’s misunderstanding of GMOs. Their review aims to place the original results of those studies into the right context.

Several weeks after the review was published online, over 100 Nobel laureates signed an open letter to Greenpeace, an environmental NGO. In their message, they requested that the organization cease its efforts to block the introduction of Golden rice, a GMO strain of rice that scientists believe can reduce vitamin-A deficiencies in developing countries.

Richard Roberts, one of the organizers of the letter campaign, told the Washington Post that Greenpeace took an anti-GMO stance to “scare people” and “to raise money for their cause”. However, he is supportive of some of their other projects.

Greenpeace has responded to the letter by reasserting their claim that Golden rice has not been proven to reduce vitamin-A deficiencies, and that the strain will “pave the way for global approval of other more profitable genetically engineered crops.” Other anti-GMO arguments include the fear that genetically modified crops can “pollute” natural gene pools, and that the health effects of GMO consumption are still largely unknown. In order to address malnutrition, critics of GMOs argue for more diverse diets.

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Questions about the 49ers Roster… That aren’t Quarterback-centric

Even with the preseason underway the quarterback question in San Francisco isn’t dying down anytime soon, but there are still other positions that need addressing during the offseason. Since the QB question is taking up the time of most sports bloggers, SB Nation’s David Fucillo decided to explore the issue on his own.

Here are a few of Fucillo’s observations:

There’s a clear divide at Wide Receiver right now between tenured NFL performers and fresh draft talent. Torrey Smith will probably be starting, but for the other wideouts management must make a decision of whether to trust experience (Ellington, Simpson) or hopefully exceptional rookie talent (Rogers).

In 2015, the QB situation was exacerbated by a dysfunctional offensive line. The 49ers made some changes, but there is still a looming question of who will be starting at right tackle—  Erik Pears or Trenton Brown?

Ahmad Brooks is still a talented linebacker. He’s good enough to end up on the 53-man roster, and just got a contract extension. Fucillo doesn’t see a world in which Brooks isn’t succeeded by at least two solid linebackers to step up outside.

Running backs have a notoriously short prime, and even though Carlos Hyde has been dazzling on the field, his style of play is extremely physical. In 2016, seeing his snaps dwindle as he recovers from potential injuries may be a very real possibility. Running back by committee is slowly becoming more commonplace, and in the event of a Hyde loss the 49ers are going to need a few capable halfbacks to carry the load. 

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Roborace

Driverless cars have long been a fantasy, and they’re now bordering on the edge of reality. Well, technically, commercial reality— Google has been developing its autonomous driving technology for several years now. While we’re all acknowledging how convenient (and possibly safe) these new machines could be, the minds at Formula E and Kinetik are taking it one step further and considering the recreational implications of self-driving cars.

Formula E and Kinetic have partnered to create Roborace, a racing circuit that uses only driverless cars. Formula E is no stranger to taking chances with its racing technology— the “E” stands for “electric”, since their races feature only electric cars. Roborace would take that one step further, and in the process reshape conventions that we’ve come to expect from automobile racing.

Because the cars are self-driving, there would be no driver actually behind the wheel, and each team gets the same car. This puts an increased focus on the team of engineers who are designing the algorithms that dictate how these vehicles behave on the track and relative to the competition.

The next logical question is, “would anyone actually watch this?” And it’s a fair one, because billing your sporting event as showcasing the “best motor-offerings that engineers have to offer” could be a tough sell to a more traditional sports crowd. Introducing new technology to old sporting traditions is invariably met with some kind of backlash. One only needs to look towards the outcry over instant replay in FIFA to see how negatively some fans react to these kinds of developments.

But Roborace is betting on something else that will draw fans: speed. With no drivers’ lives at risk, old safety regulations can be effectively ignored. Roborace’s vehicles are boasting speeds of almost 200 mph, and there’s no reason to think that as it continues to evolve we won’t see that number increase. It’s delivering the satisfaction of speed in ways that most fans could have only dreamed of, and keeps its participants safe in the process. (featured image courtesy of Flickr)

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