• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Odds / How Long Have Robots Been Around?

How Long Have Robots Been Around?

June 20, 2020 by Karen Hill

The word “robot” comes from the play “R.U.R.” (standing for “Rossum’s Universal Robots”), written in 1920 by Karel Capek, a Czechoslovakian writer.

The word robit means “work” in the Czech language, and robata means “forced labor.” Capek coined the word robot for mechanical workers that, in the play, develop intelligence and eventually revolt against and kill their creators.

Surprisingly enough, mechanical people capable of opening doors and playing musical instruments were made as long ago as the Middle Ages!

Related Facts

  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • 10 Inventions That We Can’t Live Without
  • The Best 20 Inventions Ever Invented
  • Where do Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses come from and How do they make us sick?
  • 15 Inventions You Wish You Invented

Filed Under: Odds

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Are the Biggest and Smallest Books in the World?
Next Post: What Is the Oldest City on Earth? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy