The first remotely controlled car was announced in 1921. Since World War II many military and civilian Unmanned Ground Vehicles and have been developed and deployed. Autonomous cars are being developed by major corporations such as General Motors and Uber. They are being tested on public roads in a number of states and at dedicated test facilities across the country such as the American Center for Mobility near Ypsilanti, MI. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and General Motors are sponsoring eight college teams, including one from MSU, as part of their three year AutoDrive Challenge competition.
After a death in Arizona involving and Uber test vehicles, the safety of the current generation of autonomous has been questioned.
SAE Ground Vehicle Standard - J3016_201806