Japan Finally Perfects Robot That Feeds Tomatoes To Runners [Video]

Finally, a robot that feeds you tomatoes while you run.

According to Popular Mechanic, the 18-pound robot is called Petit-Tomatan. It’s designed for marathon runners, specifically marathon runners who want to bite into a tomato like an apple while running.

The robot sits on the runner’s shoulders and hands the tomatoes down to his or her mouth. Although the mechanical eating assistant seems innocent enough, it’s actually a front-line warrior in the battle of tomato versus banana.

The robot was created by juice and ketchup company Kagome. Since 2008, Kagome’s arch-enemy, Japan Dole, has sponsored the Japan Marathon and offers the runners bins full of bananas as a marathon treat. Kagome wants to unseat bananas from their lofty place in the marathon and replace them with tomatoes.

Dole is answering back hard, creating the “wearable banana.”

Yes, a wearable banana.

The device has GPS, sensors to gauge heart rate, and LED lights and is designed to be worn on the wrist. Of course, it will also tell you the appropriate time to eat a banana while running. Dole explained the more about the amazing feat of engineering in their promo video.

“Engineers have tested it day in and day out to come up with this amazing device. This is no regular banana. It’s the best companion for any marathoner. You can strap it around your wrist and run with it until you finish the race.”

You might be thinking from the video that its just a banana with a string attached to it. Not much competition for a robot munchkin that can feed you a tomato.

But according to the Tech Times, the wearable banana is so much more.

Reportedly, engineers are creating the device by first taking off the peel and removing the edible contents. Then the electrical components are attached inside, including the fashionable red LED lights that are strong enough to shine through the peel. After that, a smaller, peeled banana is placed inside, so the wearer has something to eat after the run. After all that is complete, the peel is carefully sewn together to make it look like normal.

With that level of precision engineering, it’s hard to say what is the better fruit-based marathon aid. The wearable banana doesn’t dispense much-needed tomatoes like the robot does, but the tomato robot doesn’t say anything about the wearer’s heart rate — which is likely to be higher since he or she is carrying an 18-pound robot.

In the end, why must people choose? Isn’t the world large enough for both tomato robots and wearable bananas to coexist and help marathon runners achieve their goals?

[Image Credit: Youtube]