Panasonic Robot Swims, Takes a Bike and Runs for 230 KM

Eager to show just what its robots and AA rechargeable batteries can do, Panasonic sent its Evolta toy-sized robot on a big run, which was really more of a combination between a swimming contest, a biking dash and a marathon.

On October 23, the company sent three Evoltas on a trip through water and dust, intending for at least one of them to finish the 230 kilometer (142.9 mile) race in 168 hours.

After swimming, biking (so to speak) and running without thought to health or rest (well, robots wouldn't worry about such peripheral matters in any case), it finished faster than planned, after 166 hours and 56 minutes.

"I believe Panasonic EVOLTA batteries and this challenge have turned a new page in history for the robot industry," said Mr. Tomotaka Takahashi, founder of ROBO-GARAGE and a Research Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo.