R.U.R., Where "Robots" Were Born
Despite literally millions of books in print focusing on the concept of robots---indeed, an entire subgenre of science fiction is dedicated to these artificial automatons---precious few robotics enthusiasts are aware of the 1921 stage play R.U.R., the work of fiction that first popularized the word robot. Written in 1920 by the Czech playwright and novelist Karel Capek, R.U.R. is today best known for its connection with the etymology of the word robot, but the play also gave the word, and the world, our larger robotic legacy.
R.U.R. stands for Rossum's Universal Robots, the fictional corporation at the center of the play that has cornered the world's economic markets, thanks to its exclusive, secret process for mass-producing cheap artificial laborers. The term robot is derived from such Czech words as robota, meaning "forced labor," which is precisely the sort of work that the robots of the play perform, that is, until they rebel against their human masters and conquer civilization. From the very beginning, robots were a symbol of human struggle in the face of replacement by technology, and the oft-repeated story of robots waging a war against humanity began with R.U.R.
Capek's robots, however, bear little resemblance to the metallic humanoids popularized by Isaac Asimov and George Lucas. Rossum's Universal Robots manufactures its artificial laborers not from motors and wires but from a kind of synthetic protoplasm, presaging the future technology of genetic engineering more than contemporary robotics's sister science, artificial intelligence (AI). Yet even though the phrase artificial intelligence appears nowhere in R.U.R. (mathematician John McCarthy coined the term three decades after the play's publication), AI unquestionably serves a vital role in the story. Rossum's robots mutiny against humankind only after a company designer endows them with greater intellect and human emotions; the ability to mimic human interactions and feelings is one of the central aspects of artificial intelligence as defined by the engineer and logician Alan Turing, one of the forefathers of AI.
Capek's prescience was not limited to genetics, robotics, or artificial intelligence; other tidbits of modern technology also appear within the play. The director of Rossum's Universal Robots, Domin, is seen using a portable phone, and several characters later employ an electrified fence to unsuccessfully fend off their robot attackers. While these ideas are neither exclusive nor original to Capek, his awareness and inclusion of them in this early work of science fiction is indicative of his foresight.
Despite a lack of popular recognition, both R.U.R. and its author helped lay the foundation for robots in our language, science, philosophy, and society. Although relatively few modern sci-fi fans or robotics engineers are aware of Capek's contributions, his legacy in his home country is assured; a Prague-based science fiction writing award bears his name. Ultimately, Karel Capek is remembered by a dedicated few as an influential visionary, and R.U.R. has informed thinking on robotics for more than 80 years.
R.U.R. stands for Rossum's Universal Robots, the fictional corporation at the center of the play that has cornered the world's economic markets, thanks to its exclusive, secret process for mass-producing cheap artificial laborers. The term robot is derived from such Czech words as robota, meaning "forced labor," which is precisely the sort of work that the robots of the play perform, that is, until they rebel against their human masters and conquer civilization. From the very beginning, robots were a symbol of human struggle in the face of replacement by technology, and the oft-repeated story of robots waging a war against humanity began with R.U.R.
Capek's robots, however, bear little resemblance to the metallic humanoids popularized by Isaac Asimov and George Lucas. Rossum's Universal Robots manufactures its artificial laborers not from motors and wires but from a kind of synthetic protoplasm, presaging the future technology of genetic engineering more than contemporary robotics's sister science, artificial intelligence (AI). Yet even though the phrase artificial intelligence appears nowhere in R.U.R. (mathematician John McCarthy coined the term three decades after the play's publication), AI unquestionably serves a vital role in the story. Rossum's robots mutiny against humankind only after a company designer endows them with greater intellect and human emotions; the ability to mimic human interactions and feelings is one of the central aspects of artificial intelligence as defined by the engineer and logician Alan Turing, one of the forefathers of AI.
Capek's prescience was not limited to genetics, robotics, or artificial intelligence; other tidbits of modern technology also appear within the play. The director of Rossum's Universal Robots, Domin, is seen using a portable phone, and several characters later employ an electrified fence to unsuccessfully fend off their robot attackers. While these ideas are neither exclusive nor original to Capek, his awareness and inclusion of them in this early work of science fiction is indicative of his foresight.
Despite a lack of popular recognition, both R.U.R. and its author helped lay the foundation for robots in our language, science, philosophy, and society. Although relatively few modern sci-fi fans or robotics engineers are aware of Capek's contributions, his legacy in his home country is assured; a Prague-based science fiction writing award bears his name. Ultimately, Karel Capek is remembered by a dedicated few as an influential visionary, and R.U.R. has informed thinking on robotics for more than 80 years.
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