In 2009, the first photos started to trickle out of a Toyota Prius outfitted with a bizarre-looking metal contraption on the roof cruising the highways around Silicon Valley. The concept seemed far-fetched at the time, but Google’s early self-driving car went on to blaze a trail for the current crush of competitors seeking to commercialize the world’s first fully autonomous vehicle. Automakers such as Ford, Nissan and Tesla are investing in R&D, staffing up on