R.U.R.

by Karel Čapek

"R.U.R." by Karel Čapek is a science fiction play written in 1920. The title stands for Rossum's Universal Robots. Set in a factory that manufactures artificial workers from synthetic organic matter, the play explores what happens when these creations—capable of being mistaken for humans but lacking original thought—become essential to industry worldwide. The work introduced the word "robot" to the English language and quickly gained international recognition, translated into thirty languages by 1923.