After scaling the cliff walls of the Grand Canyon and driving the Le Mans racetrack for 24 hours, a tiny Japanese robot is after a new challenge – the 2011 Ironman World Championships this October in Hawaii.
Fitted with three different bodies and three rechargeable batteries, the hand-sized ‘Evolta’ from electronics firm Panasonic will swim, bicycle and run its way through one of the world’s toughest triathlon routes, the company said today.
The robot’s triathlon challenge begins on 24 October, after the dust has settled on this year’s Ironman World Championships. The robot will continue non-stop for seven days and nights. The actual Ironman World Championship takes place on 8 October.
The batteries the robot bears on its back, which go on sale in Japan on 21 October 2011, can be recharged up to 1,800 times by being placed on a recharger pad. Aligning the robot’s staying power with the iconic race in Kona should add further marketing power to the new batteries!
“This is very tough even for a sportsman, but I think it is worth a challenge,” said Tomotaka Takahashi, who created the green-and-white toy-like robot.
“The robot will encounter a lot of hardships on its way, but I hope it will overcome the all and succeed in the end.
“Evolta’s height is just one-tenth of a grown man, so we figured out that it would take it 10 times more time,” Takahashi added.
Of the three bodies, which include one mounted on a tiny bicycle and another in a round hoop with a supporting rear wheel, the 51 cm (20 inch) high swimming robot – mounted on a curved, fin-like blade with its arms stretched out – presented special challenges.
“I had to think of the ways to make it water-proof and protect it from mould as much as possible,” Takahashi said.
Among its other achievements, Evolta has also walked the 500K from Tokyo to the old Japanese capital of Kyoto.
