METHOD-1: Meet the New Giant South Korean Robot

The long-awaited battle between the Japanese robot Kuratas and the American MegaBot Mark II has been delayed due to multiple factors, but now it turns out South Korea is working on a mech, and nobody told us. The METHOD-1 is a development by the company Korea Future Technology and StarCraft II concept artist Vitaly Bulgarov. Four meters tall, 1,500 kilograms in weight, precise movements… someone put this robot in a ring already.

Giant robots. We all want them, even if we still don't know exactly what for, but we can always think of one or two things. Industrial applications are the most obvious, since moving heavy objects with speed and precision is one of the main goals for any company. Then there's the military route, though I'm not sure if there's an explicit interest in seeing something so big and slow on a battlefield (it would be too tempting a target). And finally, entertainment. Many animated projects placed mechs at the center of large-scale conflicts, and Hollywood did its part too (Real Steel and Pacific Rim are the first examples that come to mind). But what happens in real life…?

We find things like the METHOD-1, of course. If its design reminds you of the AMP suits from the movie Avatar, you're definitely right. The METHOD-1 is a creation of the South Korean company Korea Future Technology, in association with concept artist Vitaly Bulgarov, whose work is known through projects like StarCraft II, the RoboCop reboot, and Terminator: Genisys. There aren't many specifications beyond its height (four meters) and its overall weight (1,500 kilograms). The videos show us that it needs an umbilical cord for power, and it can be controlled without a pilot in the cabin.

What will the METHOD-1 be used for? Those responsible haven't shared much information about that, but it's obvious we're looking at a prototype. It's estimated that future editions of the robot will use carbon fiber legs, perhaps in an attempt to lose weight. The arm movements respond to commands given by the pilot in the cabin, so from a certain point of view, the METHOD-1 could act like an exoskeleton. Will there be a miniaturized version? Will we see the equivalent of a Patlabor walking down the street? Time will tell.

Source: Wired