Yes, you read that right and this isn’t science fiction but something that is very real! A South Korean robotics company — Hankook Mirae Technology — has managed to help the ginormous robot take its first baby steps.
Claimed as first of its kind by the creators, the robot which is being trained and tested in Seoul, South Korea, has been christened Method-2.
The 1.5-ton robot which shook the ground in its baby steps bears a close resemblance to the robots in the movie ‘Avatar’, as it also has a seat that can be used to pilot it via human intervention.
“Our robot is the world’s first manned bipedal robot and is built to work in extremely hazardous areas where humans cannot go. The robot is one-year-old so it is taking baby steps; but just like humans, it will be able to move more freely in the next couple of years,” company chairman Yang Jin-Ho told phys.org.
Initial tests on the robot were conducted on Tuesday with over 30 engineers overlooking the projects.
A video released on YouTube shows a pilot sitting inside the Method-2, moving either of its hands, which weigh 130 kilogrammes each and taking a few steps forward and backwards.
The robot still works on tethered power, and it’ll take some time before an independent power source is attached to it which will need recharging every now or then or it might also be fitted with a solar-powered source of energy.
Vitaly Bulgarov, the designer who is closely working with Hankook Mirae Technology in modelling the Method-2 says, “Everything we have been learning so far on this robot can be applied to solve real-world problems.”
A lot of work is still needed on the robot’s balancing and power backup needs, as the company claims that they’ve already started receiving enquiries from various industries ranging from construction to entertainment.
The company has already invested $200 million (242 billion Won) in the projects since 2014, and hope the robot to be ready for sale by the end of 2017 with a price tag of $8.3 million (10 billion Won).
There is also a possibility that the Method-2 will be used for border patrols across the world, especially on its own home soil of South Korea-North Korea border. The military application of this gigantic robot has already been witnessed in Avatar.
