January 25 was the 90th birthday of the word “robot.” The word “robot” was first used in Prague by Karel Capek in the play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The play was translated to English and went to New York the next year, bringing the word “robot” with it. Capek’s brother gave him the idea for the word. In Czech, robota has been used to describe forced labor and servitude since back in feudal times. It referred to the days of the week peasants had to leave their farms and work their local lord’s lands for free. —The play is about intelligent robots developed for cheap labor that revolt and take over.

Since the world is such an intense place, with countries banning the internet and science doing all kinds of crazy things inspired by science fiction, it seems a fitting idea to establish National Robot Day already.

FUN FACT “Robotics” (study of robots) appeared in Isaac Asimov’s imagination. Here are the “Three Laws Of Robotics” featured in his books:

WANT TO SEE SOME ROBOT MAGIC? Google one of these: ASIMO, BigDog, Kawada HRP, Roomba, Pleo

THOUGHT Would you want a robot programmed to create the greatest music ever? Would it have to plug into each person to account for their taste? Would it need a blood sample?

—Daiana Feuer