Panasonic’s Evolta robot recently proved that powerful technology can come in a pint-sized package as it completed a 230 kilometer (142.9 mile) triathlon in Hawaii. The active little robot has previously scaled the Grand Canyon and completed a 500 km trek from Tokyo to Kyoto. The triathlon was its toughest challenge yet, and he finished with an impressive time of 166 hours — quite an accomplishment considering his size. The Evolta World Challenge IV began at 12:00pm on October 23, 2011 and ended at 10:56am on October 30, 2011. In that time, three Evolta robots,each powered by three EVOLTA AA rechargeable batteries took on the 230km triathlon. It should be noted that each robot was specifically designed to take on the different challenges of the triathlon. Evolta Swim Robot took on the swimming, Evolta Bike Robot took on the cycling and Evolta Run Robot took on the — well, you get it.
Their times were impressive. Evolta Swim Robot finished the 3.8km swim in 5 hours and 36 minutes, Evolta Bike Robot finished biking 180.2km in 97 hours and 42 minutes while Evolta Run Robot completed the 42.2km run in 63 hours and 38 minutes. The team aimed to complete the trial in 168 hours and came in under their goal at 166 hours and 56 minutes.
Mr. Tomotaka Takahashi, who is the founder of ROBO-GARAGE and a Research Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo, said of the achievement: “We are happy to have made it to the finish line. I want to thank everyone, every member of the crew and the people of Hawaii. These days, robots are evolving rapidly due to the technological evolution of batteries and various other devices. I believe Panasonic EVOLTA batteries and this challenge have turned a new page in history for the robot industry.”
If we had those kind of batteries, we would definitely consider doing a triathlon. Until then, we are happy just to watch.
