Apr 18, 2017

Robot Powered by EVOLTA NEO Dry Cell Batteries to Take on 1,000m Fjord Vertical Climb Challenge

Demonstration experiment to test the durability and power of dry cell batteries, "EVOLTA NEO"

Osaka, Japan - Panasonic Corporation will be conducting a demonstration experiment where a robot powered by dry cell batteries, "EVOLTA NEO," will take on a 1,000m fjord vertical climb challenge. This challenge will test the durability and power of the new batteries that will hit the market on April 26, 2017.

For this challenge, a rope will be hung off a precipitous fjord in Norway, and the Mr. EVOLTA NEO robot equipped with 2 AA dry cell batteries will attempt to make the 1,000m vertical climb. The robot that will take on the challenge was designed and developed by robot creator, Tomotaka Takahashi.

Overview of the challenge

Date: Early July 2017 (TBA)
Place: Lyse Fjord, Kjerag Mountain, Norway
Overview: A robot designed and developed by Tomotaka Takahashi powered by 2 AA dry cell batteries, EVOLTA NEO, will attempt to climb 1,000m up a rope hanging from the steep fjord.
*Live footage will be available on EVOLTA NEO's official website, official twitter account, and on Niconico Live.

The robot will attempt to climb the rope that will hang from the precipitous fjord.

About the robot, Mr. EVOLTA NEO

Height: 17cm
Weight: 169g with batteries, 120g without batteries
Width: Head - 4cm, Body - 3.5cm, Both feet together - 6cm
Powered by: 2 AA EVOLTA NEO batteries
Materials: Plastic, titanium

Tomotaka Takahashi, Robot Creator

Born 1975 in Osaka, Japan

President of Robo Garage Co., Ltd.

Project Associate Professor of Research Center for Advance Science and Technology, University of Tokyo

5-time winner of the Robo Cup

Past challenges by EVOLTA

May 2008	Grand Canyon Challenge	The robot, "Mr. EVOLTA", powered by EVOLTA dry cell batteries climbed the steep 530.4m cliff of the Grand Canyon in 6 hours 46 minutes 31 seconds.
August 2009	24-hour Endurance Race Challenge	The robot, Mr. EVOLTA, powered by EVOLTA dry cell batteries successfully completed the 24-hour endurance race held at a circuit in France. Guinness World Record (*1) "The longest distance covered by a battery operated remote-controlled model car."
September - November 2010	Tokaido 53 Stations Challenge	The robot, Mr. EVOLTA, powered by EVOLTA dry cell batteries traveled approximately 500km from Nihonbashi, Tokyo to Sanjo Ohashi, Kyoto.
October 2011	Triathlon Challenge	The robot, Mr. EVOLTA, powered by EVOLTA dry cell batteries completed a triathlon (total distance 230km: 3.8km swim, 180.2km bike, 42.2km run) in 166 hours 56 minutes.
December 2012 to January 2013	Endurance, Bring in the New Year Challenge	The robot, Mr. EVOLTA, powered by EVOLTA dry cell batteries raised the barbell non stop, for 14 days, a total of 142,460 times.
December 2013	World's Longest Track Challenge	Akita Bullet Train E6 Super Komachi powered by EVOLTA dry cell batteries covered 5.60844km of Plarails (2) (created with 26,667 rails). Guinness World Record (3) Longest toy train track.
November 2014	Bring Back a Disused Railroad for a Day Challenge	A vehicle weighing a total of approximately 1 ton powered by EVOLTA dry cell batteries traveled approximately 8.5km.
November 2015	World's Longest Distance Traveled on a Train Track Challenge	Longest distance traveled by a vehicle on a railway track powered by 600 D EVOLTA dry cell batteries (22.615km, 2 hours 47 minutes 9 seconds). Guinness World Record (*4) Vehicle weighed more than 700kg. Uphill start. Traveled over 20km with only commercially available dry cell batteries. During the challenge no maintenance could be provided to the vehicle.
November 2016	World's Longest Distance Manned Flight Challenge	An aircraft powered by 640 EVOLTA AA dry cell batteries flew 3,531m over Lake Biwa.

*1: Set a new record on August 6, 2009 for the "Longest distance covered by a battery-operated remote-controlled model car".
*2: (c)TOMY Plarail is the registered trademark of TOMY COMPANY, LTD.
*3: Set a new record on December 14, 2013 as the "Longest plastic toy train track." Record distance: 5.60844km. Have received consent to merchandise from East Japan Railway Company.
*4: Set a new record on November 3, 2015 as the "Longest distance traveled by a vehicle on a railway track powered by dry cell batteries."

Preview Mr. EVOLTA NEO's skills at its unveiling!
The press conference, broadcast live online, started with an overview of the new dry cell battery, EVOLTA NEO, and introduced this year's 1,000m fjord vertical climb challenge in Norway. Mr. EVOLTA NEO's creator, Tomotaka Takahashi, unveiled the new robot and tested its skills live as it climbed 20 meters during the press conference.
(Video in Japanese)

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