Self-driving cars tend to steal the headlines, but the autonomous vehicles most of us are likely to interact with first are going to be trucks. The giant big rigs that haul almost everything we buy, would be much safer if drivers do not get fatigued on long trips. They are also far more efficient if they can platoon together (which BBC Future has talked about before, and other companies are also working on).

A driver will have to be behind the wheel, ready to take over in situations the computer cannot handle, such as roadworks or bad weather, but in other situations he or she would be free to take their eyes off the road.