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Meet Rex

WARREN ALLOTT

He sees. He walks. His heart pumps blood. But Rex, as he is called in the United Kingdom, is not human. In fact, he's not even alive.

Rex is the world's most advanced bionic man. He was created by scientists and a TV-production company. A film about the project, How to Build a Bionic Man, will air later this year in the United States.

Unlike the robots we're used to seeing in film, Rex is the real deal. Some of his working parts, including his hands, feet and hips, are already helping people.

Rex cost around $1 million to create. Prices should come down as more products are made. "We are approaching a point where technology can fully replace a functionality of the human body," says project leader Bertolt Meyer. He works at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland. But for now, Rex's body still belongs to a high-tech future.

WARREN ALLOTT