Thursday marked the finish of an 8,000-mile journey completed by experimental electric driverless vans.

The vans, whose journey stretched from Italy to China, were controlled by computers and featured solar power-equipped video cameras and laser scanners to help guide them safely on the trip. The high tech equipment successfully led them around all obstacles in their path in addition to adverse weather.

The vans did carry researchers so that they could conduct observations and intervene in the event of an emergency.

The project was aimed at the improvement of car technology and safety on roadways and was supported by the European Research Council.

Research engineer Isabella Fredriga said that the route, which stretched from Italy to Shanghai, was not planned out in advance. She went on to point out that conditions on the route taken included variables of all kinds- light and heavy traffic as well as light and heavy weather –and everything in between.

Without the aid of maps, the vans lead the team through remote areas in Siberia and China before their arrival in Shanghai.

Data gathered from the experiment will be used for the advancement of drivers’ aid technology as well as for advancements in possible industries such as agriculture, construction and mining.