Tech

This 13-foot robot cost over $100 million to develop and looks like it's straight out of a sci-fi movie

This 1.6-ton megabot from South Korea is operated by a human driver
VIDEO1:2401:24
This 1.6-ton megabot from South Korea is operated by a human driver

Giant human-controlled robots aren't just for Hollywood anymore.

CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin tried out the Method-2, a 1.6-ton, 13-foot tall robot made by Hankook Mirae Technology in South Korea. It's the same robot that made an impression on Jeff Bezos at Amazon's MARS conference last year.

Tweet link

If the robot reminds you of something straight out of a Transformer's movie, you're not too far off. The company hired Hollywood designer, Vitaly Bulgarov, who actually worked on "Transformers Age of Extinction to craft the robot's look.

The Method-2 can mimic the arm, hand and finger movements of its pilot, but leg movements are left to the robot's engineers. The entire robot is held up by two enormous chains since it doesn't have the best balance.

Development of the Method-2 cost over $100 million, but the robot itself is not for sale. The company says that a version of the Method-2 could one day be used for disaster relief or military operations.