Explore the cutting-edge world of self-driving cars in this 30-minute lecture from The Great Courses. Delve into the challenges of building autonomous vehicles, tracing the history of automatic driving features and examining partial autonomy examples. Learn about Ernst Dickmann's pioneering robotics car system and the DARPA Grand Challenge that accelerated autonomous vehicle development. Discover how Sebastian Thrun led the Stanford Racing Team to victory and understand the principles of probabilistic robotics in modeling uncertainty. Examine the unique challenges posed by urban environments for driverless cars and how robotic systems account for potential collisions. Consider the societal benefits of autonomous vehicles, including increased mobility and independence for non-drivers, as well as their potential to manage traffic congestion.