Karel Čapek, the man who coined the term “robot,” wrote a column in 1935 defending his original vision of robots while also accepting their transformation into mechanical and electronic entities. He had intended for robots to resemble artificial humans, but they quickly became synonymous with mechanical and electronic beings. In a new translation of his play “R.U.R.,” which introduced robots to the world, an afterword includes Čapek’s column along with essays exploring the play’s themes. Jitka Čejková, a professor at the Chemical Robotics Laboratory, provides insight into Čapek’s perspective, drawing parallels to her own research on microparticles that mimic living cells. The ongoing debate over what constitutes a robot is examined, with an argument for considering anything with independent embodied intelligence as a robot, regardless of whether it is mechanical and electronic. Čapek ultimately confesses to feeling defeated as mechanized robots gained popularity over his original vision.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/karel-capek-robots