The revolt of the robots reaches Rossum's island as the act ends. In secret, Helena burns the formula required to create robots. Both are more advanced, fully-featured robots. Gall describes his experimental robotess, also named Helena. Helena and Domin reminisce about the day they met and summarize the last ten years of world history, which has been shaped by the new worldwide robot-based economy. Helena and her nurse Nana discuss current events, the decline in human births in particular. Later, Domin confesses that he loves Helena and forces her into an engagement. management, the robots do not 'like' anything.Įventually Helena is convinced that the League of Humanity is a waste of money, but still argues robots have a 'soul'. Helena asks that the robots be paid, but according to R.U.R. The managers of the factory find this absurd. They have become essential for industry.Īfter meeting the heads of R.U.R., Helena reveals that she is a representative of the League of Humanity, an organization that wishes to liberate the robots.

By the time the play takes place (circa the year 2000), robots are cheap and available all over the world.

Young Rossum finally locked away his uncle in a lab to play with the monstrosities he had created and created thousands of robots. While the elder wanted to create animals to prove or disprove the existence of God, his nephew only wanted to become rich. He argued with his nephew about their motivations for creating artificial life. In 1932, Rossum had invented a substance like organic matter, though with a different chemical composition. Rossum had come to the island in 1920 to study marine biology. Here, she meets Domin, the General Manager of R.U.R., who relates to her the history of the company. Helena, the daughter of the president of a major industrial power, arrives at the island factory of Rossum's Universal Robots. Prologue (Act I in the Selver translation) Ī scene from the play, showing three robots Initially happy to work for humans, the robots revolt and cause the extinction of the human race. Later terminology would call them androids.) Robots may be mistaken for humans and can think for themselves. (As living creatures of artificial flesh and blood rather than machinery, the play's concept of robots diverges from the idea of 'robots' as inorganic. The play begins in a factory that makes artificial people, called roboti (robots), whom humans have created from synthetic organic matter.

Helena Glory: President of the Humanity League, daughter of President Glory.

Busman (Jacob Berman): Managing Director, R.U.R.

Hallemeier (Hellman): Psychologist-in-Chief Gall: Head of the Physiological Department, R.U.R.

Harry Domin (Domain): General Manager, R.U.R.

R.U.R. by Karel Čapek