James P. Butler was a little bit ahead of his time, as evidenced by this article in the May 1958 issue of Popular Electronics.  We think of the self-driving car as a modern phenomenon, but Butler was developing an early prototype sixty years ago.

Butler’s car allowed the driver to relax at the wheel, while the car itself took care of many of the mundane aspects of driving.  The car stayed on the road by monitoring the crown of the road.  If the vehicle drifted to one side, hydraulic cylinders steered the tie rods back into the lane.  One minor glitch, that Butler was sure he could work out, was RFI from strong transmitters.  If a police car keyed up, this might override the system.  Of course, if a police car was in the vicinity, it was probably best for the driver to put his hands back on the wheel.  Sonar would allow the vehicle to brake automatically if an obstacle was encountered.

Control was effected by means of a TV channel selector.  What could possibly go wrong?