A Brief History of Robots in Science Fiction #RoboWeek

Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.) by Czech writer Karel Čapek introduced the word “robot” — the writer’s brother suggested the word, inspired by the word robata, which means literally “serf labor” and figuratively “drudgery” or “hard work.” No wonder they always want to revolt. Remember: make robot friend, not robot enemy.

That’s just a small tidbit on the history of robots in science fiction. More in this lovely article from The Mind Museum:

Edward Ellis’s Steam Man is an early example of the Edisonade genre of science fiction. Derived from Thomas Edison’s name, the genre describes stories that feature an ingenious young American inventor, who uses his inventions to go on adventures, solve problems, and defend himself against his enemies. The invention often has many purposes, such as weaponry and transportation.

Read a lot more here!


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