Expanding on a word created by a Czech playwright, Asimov coined this term in 1941 for a branch of science that didn’t exist then

Friday’s Jeopardy episode closed out the week with a challenging Final Jeopardy clue in the category “Science Words.” The clue read: “Expanding on a word created by a Czech playwright, Asimov coined this term in 1941 for a branch of science that didn’t exist then.”

What is Robotics?

This Final Jeopardy clue invited contestants and viewers to connect science fiction history with real-world scientific development. It referenced two major figures—Karel Čapek, the Czech writer who introduced the word “robot” in his 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), and Isaac Asimov, the prolific American science fiction author. Asimov took Čapek’s concept further, imagining not just the machines themselves, but the systematic study of how robots behave, interact, and are governed—a field he named “robotics.”

From Fiction to Science: Tracing the Word’s Origin

The term “robot” was first used in Čapek’s play, derived from the Czech word robota, meaning forced labor or drudgery. The play depicted synthetic beings designed to serve humans, a concept that would ripple through science fiction and, eventually, real-world engineering. By the 1940s, these imaginative constructs had captured the attention of writers like Isaac Asimov, who frequently explored robot-related themes in his work.

In 1941, Asimov introduced the word “robotics” in his short story “Liar!” published in Astounding Science Fiction. At the time, there was no formal discipline by that name. Asimov believed “robotics” would be a natural term for the study of robots, mirroring scientific branches like “physics” or “genetics.” His coinage proved prescient, as the word soon entered common usage and was adopted by engineers, scientists, and academics worldwide.

A Term Before Its Time

When Asimov wrote “Liar!”, robots were purely speculative. The concept of building intelligent machines was still decades away from serious research and practical development. Nonetheless, Asimov imagined a world where robotics was a legitimate science—complete with its own rules, challenges, and ethical dilemmas. His now-famous “Three Laws of Robotics,” introduced in the same period, further underscored his structured approach to the idea.

The term “robotics” eventually became reality as technology caught up to imagination. By the 1960s and 1970s, robotic systems were being explored in industrial and research settings, and today robotics is a recognized field of study in engineering, artificial intelligence, and computer science. Asimov’s fictional foresight had turned into factual terminology.

Final Jeopardy Strategy and Outcome

In this Final Jeopardy round, success hinged on understanding the literary and scientific context of the clue. Contestants had to recognize the reference to Čapek’s “robot” and connect it to Asimov’s coined term. The clue rewarded those with a background in both literature and the history of technology, making it a strong test of interdisciplinary knowledge.

Given the phrasing of the clue—specifically “a branch of science that didn’t exist then”—a broad range of possibilities may have crossed contestants’ minds. However, the inclusion of both a playwright and a science fiction author narrowed the focus to terminology that evolved from fiction into science. “Robotics” was the only fitting term, making it a clever and satisfying conclusion to the episode.

A Word That Became a Discipline

Today, robotics is a major field influencing everything from manufacturing and space exploration to medicine and consumer electronics. It is taught at leading universities and continues to raise philosophical questions about artificial intelligence, automation, and humanity’s relationship with machines. The fact that the word began as a fictional creation serves as a reminder of how imagination often paves the way for discovery.

Asimov’s contribution to the English language through the term “robotics” underscores the enduring connection between science fiction and scientific progress. Friday’s clue paid tribute not only to a specific vocabulary term but also to the visionaries who dared to imagine—and name—the future.