The question of how falling cats land on their feet has long intrigued humans. In …
The fear of artificial life is intimately tied up with the word "robot" itself, which first appeared in the 1921 science fiction play "R.U.R." (Rossum's Universal Robots), written by the Czech author Karel Čapek. In the play, artificial people—robots—are produced in a factory by the Rossum company. Eventually the robots, who can think for themselves, rise up in rebellion and exterminate almost all of humanity.… The word "robot" was derived from the Czech "roboti," which refers to a serf-like forced laborer.
— Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics by Gregory J. Gbur (Page 206)