In the 1920s, playwright Karel Capek coined the term "robot" from the Czech word for forced labor or serf. Ever since, robots have been humans' most helpful companions and most fearsome foes. For decades, robots populated science-fiction novels, movies, televisions series, and other forms of pop culture. And for years, mechanical toys in a variety of robotic shapes have amused, entertained, and frightened children. This particular robot reflects a persistent theme in science fiction of the inhabitants of Mars as aggressive aliens which earthlings must subjugate, annihilate, or assimilate.
Details