Italian team begins 8,000 mile test of driverless tech

A team of Italian engineers has embarked on an 8,000 mile road trip to conduct a real-world test of the driverless car technology that has been developed at Parma University.

The group, called VisLab, will take four vehicles on the journey from Italy to China, but only two will be driven by computer. The electrically powered cars use a combination of seven camera and four laser scanners to plot a course along the highway and spot potential hazards.

From the looks of the news coverage, it's likely to be slow going for the enthusiastic team.

To watch AP's coverage, click below.