The Japanese are known for their public displays of endurance. The long-running and re-running TV show Takeshi’s Castle saw hordes of contestants battling to overcome grueling physical challenges. Even nowadays, you can see troupes of old and young walking epic pilgrimages around the country. So, it comes as no surprise to hear that Panasonic are staging a publicity stunt to prove the durability of Evolta batteries, by making their mascot robot hike the historic 300 mile (500 km) Tōkaidō Road from Tokyo to Kyoto. The bot, designed by Tomotaka Takahashi, founder of Kyoto University’s Robo-Garage, includes a hamster wheel feature that resembles an ancient highway traveler’s cart and will facilitate movement over uneven surfaces. The humanoid bot is 7 inches (17 cm) tall and weighs about 2.2 lbs (1 kg). It takes 12 AA batteries and, operated by remote control, can travel at up to 3 mph (5 kmph).

The batteries will be recharged once per day throughout the course of the journey, and is all goes according to schedule, the bot should complete its journey on December 10, after 49 days of walking. Rather than the batteries running out though, I would be worried that a car might run over and destroy the little bot. Poor wee thing. Ganbatte!
[Pinktentacle]