TED-Ed: Mysteries of vernacular: Robot - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

The video explores the origin and evolution of the word 'robot'. It begins with the definition of a robot as a programmable machine and traces the etymology back to the era of serfdom in Central Europe, where 'rabota' meant forced labor. The term evolved into 'robota' in Czech, symbolizing hard work. In 1920, Czech writer Karel Capek introduced the term 'robot' in his play R.U.R., depicting machines with human traits. The play's success popularized the term, which was embraced in English by 1923. Today, robots differ from Capek's vision but remain integral to society, without the rebellion seen in R.U.R.

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