Waymo has admitted that its “autonomous” vehicles are mostly remote control, only partly autonomous. The controllers are in low-wage Phillipines. Waymo claims that the controllers only intervene in extreme situations, but I’m sure we’ll get the usual gradual increments of the real truth.
Remote controlled vehicles are WAY older than Waymo. Trains had some remote control in the 1880s. Airplanes (now called drones) were remote in 1918. Missiles had video remote control in 1944.
Cars are harder than trains or planes because they move in all directions amid dense traffic. Full-fledged remote control would have been technically possible in the 60s. Video cameras and microwave transmission were ready for the job. I don’t remember any serious attempts at that time, probably because people hadn’t yet been propagandized into surrendering their own control of life.
Polistra's Mill 