The Japanese company Seiko Epson has developed a robot that weighs less than half an ounce. Development took a year for the prototype Monsieur II-P microrobot. The tiny machine dances on two wheels and is fitted with miniature ultrasonic motors. It travels at a rate of 150mm/sec and incorporates a built-in Bluetooth module which enables wireless control of the new robot. The new robot employs three 1.7-volt zinc-air batteries connected in a series for driving power. The three batteries weigh 4.3g in total, powering the unit for up to five hours. The entire robot weighs 12.5g. There are no plans to put the robot on sale (yet) but it will be unveiled to the public at Robodex 2003 in Yokohama in April. A number of the robots will perform a synchronised dancing demonstration at the exhibition. None are expected to fly, which of course had been previously predicted for 2003 – on April 7, to be exact.