Five Hundred KM Run By Robot on Evolta AA Batteries

What a way to garner publicity! If you want to prove endurance, there’s no better way than to complete a 500-km run. But this test of endurance took a twist when it is completed by a robot out to prove the lasting power of a pack of batteries.

A diminutive robot was “hired” by Panasonic to lug a dozen AA Evolta batteries in a cart from Tokyo to Kyoto. An infrared device led the way for the robot from start to end. A group of Evolta “sisters” also accompanied the robot along the way and carried it up or down stairs. The robot stopped moving only at night and when it rains. The 317-mile or 500-km journey took two months and was completed successfully ahead of schedule. Panasonic has a winner in the batteries and its robot. This stunt, like many others, proves that advertising is changing and reinventing itself in new ways.