Images: The sci-fi effect on high tech

Karel Capek's 1921 play R.U.R. introduced the term "robot" into popular use. The humanoid machines pictured here are of a much more recent vintage--front and center is the HRP-3 Promet Mk-II, the latest in a series from Japan's Kawada Industries. More than just about anyplace else on the planet, Japan has put out the welcome mat for robots.

Photo by Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images