Japan robot weathers rain to climb Grand Canyon

Neither rain, sleet or hail could stop a Japanese robot from climbing the Grand Canyon, with the hand-sized "Evolta" scaling a 530 meter (580 yard) cliff in just under seven hours.

Powered by two AA batteries on its back, the blue robot inched up a thin rope with its hands and feet over four days late last month, hampered by rain and heavy wind, but making it to the top on its sixth try.

The 134 gram (5 ounce) robot was part of a battery campaign by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd, the maker of Panasonic products.