VICE founder Suroosh Alvi recently traveled to Gunpo, South Korea, to try out the Method 2 prototype, a hulking manned robot made by Hankook Mirae Technology. Weighing in at over one and a half tons, and standing 13 feet tall, the Method 2 looks like something out of science fiction.Specifically, this exoskeleton robot looks like something you’ve seen in a movie, and that’s by design: Hankook Mirae Chairman Yang Jin-Ho and his team collaborated with a Hollywood designer to make the Method-2.Jin-Ho spent $200 million of his own money on the project, and claims his creation is the world’s first manned bipedal robot.The robot is designed to mimic hand and arm movements, and is suspended by two metal cabals in the ceiling to keep it balanced.So far the Method-2 is only used for fun, but its creator envisions it will play a critical role in future crises.“It’s more likely it’ll be used in fires and disaster relief situations,” Jin-Ho said. “But also find application in military operations.”This segment originally aired Oct. 18, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.
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