Today, that future seems still far off. But it's just around the corner. It's all thanks to Google, as well as car companies and universities that are making incredible advances in the technology for self-driving cars.

Google's Prius is already a better driver than you are

In 2004, I was invited by the Pentagon to cover a historic event in California's Mojave desert: The DARPA Grand Challenge.

Google's self-driving cars may soon appear on Nevada roads, where the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved the nation's first autonomous vehicle license. (Reuters / Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles/Handout)

DARPA, the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, wanted to accelerate the development of self-driving cars for use on the battlefield. The agency challenged universities and private companies to enter their robotic vehicles in a contest -- a 142-mile course that had to be navigated by self-driving cars, trucks and even a motorcycle. The winner would receive a cash prize.