Over the weekend, a video of an incredible, human-like robot was posted, shared and reposted by thousands of social media accounts.
Famous illusionist Derren Brown shared the viral video and garnered nearly 10 million views in just a few days.
In the short clip, a tall robot walked across a parking lot in human-like fashion.
While robotic technology has been advancing, most previous milestones - like the Boston Dynamics "Atlas" - had still looked a bit clunky or awkward.
But this robot appeared to be different. It was the same size as a human and walked just like one, leaving many wondering...
THE QUESTION
Is this a real robot? Many people online posted the video with claims that robots would soon take over the world, or, as Derren Brown wrote, "we are all going to die."
THE ANSWER
No, this isn't a real robot. It's a special effects, CGI model that a skilled editor inserted into a real-world background using modern editing techniques.
WHAT WE FOUND
If you just watch the video, it is genuinely difficult to determine if it's real or not. The video compression that automatically comes with many social media sites masks some typical giveaways.
The robot's shadow matches the real-world objects in the clip. It also matches the camera's movements almost exactly. The only possible giveaway is a bit of flickering on the bot's chest as it walks.
So instead of using visual cues, Verify went back to the source of the clip.
Maxim Sullivan, a self-described "Film Maker and VFX and 3D artist," posted the video on Twitter on August 12.
He said it was a "glitchy test of Adam from the @oatsstudios Unity film, going for a walk."
If "Adam" looks familiar, it's because he's a character in film director Neill Blomkamp's collaboration with Oats Studios.
The director himself confirmed this on Twitter:
With proof in the original and Blomkamp's posts, we can Verify any claims this is a real robot are false.