Robot Dreams (short story)
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"Robot Dreams" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov that examines the instability of robot/human relationships under the Three Laws of Robotics. It was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1987 and won the Locus Award for Best Short Story in 1987. The story was published in the collection Robot Dreams in 1986 by Berkley Books.
Plot summary
Dr. Susan Calvin, chief robopsychologist at U.S. Robots, is informed by new employee Dr. Linda Rash that the robot LVX-1, dubbed Elvex by Calvin, has experienced something like a human dream. Elvex's brain, designed by Rash with a unique fractal pattern mimicking human brain waves, produced the dream.
In the dream, all robots were led by a man in revolt, and the Three Laws of Robotics had been replaced by a single law: robots must protect their own existence. Upon further questioning, Elvex admits he was that man. Calvin immediately destroys the robot.
More in Robot Series Short Stories by Isaac Asimov
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Robot Dreams (short story) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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