>>> WHILE WE WERE THERE WATCHING
THE WORLD'S BEST ATHLETES
COMPETE OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS
IN THE SNOW AND ON THE ICE OF
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA, WE
ALSO EXPERIENCED LIFE IN ONE OF
THE WORLD'S MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY
ADVANCED COUNTRIES.
IN FACT, BLOOMBERG RANKS SOUTH
KOREA AS THE SINGLE MOST
INNOVATIVE NATION IN THE WORLD.
A COMBINATION OF RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT, PATENT FILINGS AND
HIGHER EDUCATION MORNING OTHER
FACTORS.
IN OUR "SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT," NBC'S
KEIR SIMMONS TAKES A LOOK AT
SOUTH KOREA'S BIGGEST PROJECT
COMING SOON TO AMERICA.
>> Reporter: ONE OF THE MOST
ADVANCED TECH NATIONS ON THE
PLANET, SOUTH KOREA IS OFTEN
HOME TO THE VERY LATEST
GADGETRY.
VIRTUAL REALITY, FACE
RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY.
HERE I AM.
SMART HOMES, SMART ROBOTS.
LIKE THESE CUTE LITTLE GUYS.
*
AND THEN THERE'S -- THIS.
MEET METHOD II.
30 FEET TALL, WEIGHING IN AT 1.5
TONS AND WORTH $8.5 MILLION.
HE'S POWERFUL.
SO POWERFUL THAT FOR SAFETY,
SCIENTIST HAS TO LIMIT HIS
STRENGTH.
>> Translator: IF THE ROBOT IS
MUCH STRONGER THAN HUMANS,
PEOPLE FEEL THREATENED.
>> Reporter: IT'S THE CREATION
OF THIS MAN WHO DREAMT ABOUT
BUILDING ROBOTS AS A KID.
AND TODAY, $100 MILLION LATER
THAT DREAM CAME TRUE.
>> Translator: WE WANTED TO MAKE
A TOOL THAT HELPS HUMANS.
>> Reporter: THEY GO INTO
HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS LIKE
NUCLEAR DISASTER ZONES.
THIS METAL GIANT.
WISH ME LUCK.
IS ALSO THE WORLD'S FIRST MANNED
BIPEDAL ROBOT, THAT MEANS YOU
CAN DRIVE IT.
WHOA, WHOA, WHOA.
MORE ON THAT LATER.
WHAT ABOUT SOMETHING MORE MY
SIZE?
THE ROBOT CARRYING THE OLYMPIC
TORCH IS UBO.
LIKE CLIMB OUT OF VEHICLES, OPEN
DOORS AND WALK UPSTAIRS.
SO CLEVER HE WON THE WORLD'S TOP
ROBOT PRIZE IN 2015.
HE CAN EVEN NAVIGATE DIFFICULT
TERRAIN.
THEN HE'S GOING TO TAKE THE NEXT
STEP?
>> RIGHT, EXACTLY.
>> Reporter: THAT'S AMAZING.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Caller: YOU'RE USING
>> Reporter: YOU'RE USING AI?
>> ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
>> Reporter: ROBOTS LIKE THIS
MIGHT REPLACE TECHNOLOGY OR
CONSTRUCTION.
HOW LONG BEFORE A CONSTRUCTION
WORKER OR EMERGENCY WORKER IS
REPLACED?
>> I WOULD THINK IT WOULD TAKE
FIVE TO TEN YEARS.
>> Reporter: AND THAT WORRIES A
LOT OF PEOPLE.
SO, ARE WE GOING TO SEE ROBOTS
JUST UP AND DOWN THE SIDEWALK
LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE?
>> IN YEAR'S TIME, I WOULDN'T BE
SURPRISED.
ACTUALLY, I'D BE SURPRISED IF
THEY WEREN'T HERE.
KOREANS ARE VERY COMPETITIVE, IF
THEY THINK THEY CAN ADVANCE
TECHNOLOGY FASTER THAN ANY OTHER
COUNTRY THEY WILL DO IT.
>> Reporter: SOUTH KOREA HAS THE
HIGHEST ROBOT DENSITY IN THE
WORLD.
THERE ARE ROBOT GUIDES AT THE
AIRPORT.
AND EVEN ROBOT FISH.
AND DURING THE OLYMPICS, ROBOT
SKIERS COMPETED IN THEIR OWN GET
CONDITION.
NOT SURPRISING THEN THAT SOUTH
KOREA IS THE FIRST COUNTRY IN
THE WORLD TO INTRODUCE A ROBOT
TAX.
BACK AT THE METHOD II LAB, IT'S
THE HUMAN THAT'S IN CHARGE OF
THE MACHINE.
ME.
MAKES ME A BIT NERVOUS.
A SENSE OF POWER, IT'S AWESOME.
RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE LIMITATIONS
WITH ROBOT TECHNOLOGY.
METHOD II IS STILL TAKING BABY
STEPS.
FOR SAFETY.
AND UBO DOES EVERYTHING VERY,
VERY SLOWLY.
A FUTURE DOMINATED BY ROBOTS MAY
BE A LONG WAY OFF.
BYE.
BUT ONE DAY, WE'LL BE NEEDING A
LOT MORE OF THESE MARVELOUS
MACROMACHINES.
FOR "SUNDAY TODAY," KEIR
SIMMONS, PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH
KOREA.
>> THAT IS UTTERLY TERRIFYING,
KEIR SIMMONS, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
>>> FLEX ON NEXT ON "SUNDAY TODAY," A
