He may stand only a few inches tall, but this fellow has some serious energy reserves. He must do to take part in not only a triathlon, but an Ironman triathlon. You know those ones the fitness nuts do, involving a massive swim, huge bike ride, then a marathon at the end? Yeah, that.
This little chap will swim 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles, then run 26.2 miles. Makes us tired just thinking about it.
The triathlon challenge takes place on 24 October in Hawaii (with the actual Ironman World Championship earlier in the month), and while adult humans are expected to complete in a day, this mini robot will have 10 days, or 168 hours. Well, it only seems fair. Three robots will compete -- one swimming, one cycling, one running -- which again, is only fair. He's a tiny robot, let's cut him some slack.
It's all to promote Panasonic's Evolta brand of rechargeable batteries that will power him, with the company on hand to juice them up on the way. He'll have a hoop with a supporting rear wheel to help him run, and a curved, fin-like blade to aid his swimming.
The 20-inch tall robot is no stranger to a challenge either. Previously Evolta has climbed up a 1,500-foot rope in the Grand Canyon, and driven the circuit at Le Mans for 24 hours straight. His Grand Canyon challenge failed due to a faulty foot, so success in the triathlon is far from guaranteed.
What do you reckon? Will he complete the challenge? Or should robots stick to tasks that make us feel less guilty about our own fitness levels? Let us know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
Image credit: Boing Boing.
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