Yandex's Self-Driving CES Demo Comes Without a Human Backup

I buckle my seatbelt, and then double check it, after I climb into the back of a white, black, and orange Toyota Prius V wagon. I'm tense, but the two engineers, one in back with me, the other riding shotgun, seem reassuringly relaxed. We roll forward, turning right out of the parking lot at the Hard Rock Hotel, and head into the streets of Las Vegas--with nobody in the driver's seat. Soon, the car is merging into traffic at 40 mph, the steering wheel spinning and the turn signals flicking on and off on their own. I've witnessed plenty of self-driving demonstrations, some of them here in Vegas, but never one without a human holding their hands over the controls, poised to brake, or swerve, if the computer struggles.