Robot 002: R.U.R.

Were I to do these studies in strict chronology or importance to the history of robots, I'd have done this one first: R.U.R., Rossum's Universal Robots. Karel Capek's 1921 play first introduced the term "robot" (from the Czech robota, drudgery) into the popular lexicon. Ironically, Capek's Robots were more like clones than what we typically think of when we hear the word robot, but the significance of the play is still undeniable.

I place it second to Metropolis because 1.) these studies have no strict order to them and 2.) Capek's Robots, while historically notable, are not strongly remembered for their visual appearance. I had to do some digging to find images of the stage production to base this study on; this Robot design is from the 1923 production at St. Martin's, London. Click here for further material about the play.