Arguably, robot-like toys have, been around for centuries. Similarly, ideas of mechanical or artificial men became increasingly common following the industrial revolution. However, the first use of the word robot was in Karel Capek’s (pronounced Chop-ek) 1921 play R.U.R.
Although this dire warning for man not to meddle in things he should not is probably, these days, more relevant to the arguments on genetic engineering, the word robot stuck and became associated with all forms of artificial men.
For twenty five years robots continued to thrive primarily in the world of fiction. Notable highlights include:
Fritz Lang’s 1926 silent movie Metropolis in which the central character is Robotrix, a robot copy of the female worker’s leader designed to help oppress the workers.
Asimov’s robot short stories introduced the word “robotics”, the 3 laws of robotics and the world’s first robot psychologist
Various robot “demonstrators” were also developed in this period including Westinghouse’s Electro, shown at the 1939 World’s Fair. This talking humanoid robot was supposedly soon to be in homes doing all manner of domestic chores.
A Brief History of Robotics
A brief history of Robotics
