A manned plane powered by conventional batteries took off from Tokyo on Sunday - and flew for 59 seconds.

The one-man, glider-like plane took off from a private airport and reached a height of 5.2m (16ft).

It was powered by 160 AA batteries, which are commonly used in portable CD players and cameras.

"I was careful at take-off as it was very difficult," said pilot Tomohiro Kamiya, a senior member at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

He added: "As it soared 5m, people on the ground looked so small to me.

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