"The world's first manned plane powered by conventional dry-cell batteries soared five meters (16 feet) above the ground in a demonstration flight. The glider-like plane with a single-seat gondola and a 31 meter (102 feet) wingspan was powered by 160 AA Oxyride batteries which have been produced by Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co since April 2004," reports AFP.

The plane was developed at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.