Rossum’s Universal Robots: A Technology Studies Perspective

Abstract

Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">(Rossum’s Universal Robots)</i> was a big hit when it was first performed in the 1920s. Written in Czech, it was soon translated into English and other languages and performed throughout Europe and the Anglo-American world [1]. It was quickly adapted for radio and television as well [2]. Through this success, it had a significant influence on technologists, writers, and general audiences [3].