U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men

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The fictional corporation US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. is the major manufacturer of robots in the 21st century in Isaac Asimov's Robot Series of novels.

US Robots was founded in 1982 by Lawrence Robertson. Dr. Susan Calvin, born in the same year, was the first, and for many years, the only robopsychologist at US Robots, and is the main character in many of Asimov's short stories, usually dealing with robot problems in the laboratory. In other robot stories Greg Powell and Mike Donovan, field engineers for the company, try to solve robot issues in the field. The short stories also mention Alfred Lanning and Peter Bogert, the Directors of Research (first Lanning, and then Bogert) during Calvin's time at the corporation.

The physical location of the company is unclear. Ultimately, factories are established in many parts of the world, but in one story, Robot AL-76 Goes Astray, the main factory is said to be located in Schenectady, New York.

In Catch that Rabbit, the company's unofficial motto is revealed to be "No employee makes the same mistake twice. He is fired the first time."

The factory of US. Robots and Mechanical Men is the only place on Earth where robots are allowed to be present in an assembled condition. Robertson, together with associates, are constantly trying to reverse what they call the Frankenstein complex, and prove to the world that robots are in fact harmless. In one novel, however, Calvin suggests another approach: let people know of the danger, and so increase the thrill, and that way make the subject more demanded among the public. And in that way familiarise the robots and Mechanical Men of the corporation.

Under the name U.S. Robotics, this company is also featured in I, Robot, the 2004 Will Smith movie inspired by (but quite different from) Asimov's short story collection I, Robot. Dr. Susan Calvin appears in this film in her role at U.S. Robotics as a robopsychologist.

The modem manufacturer U.S. Robotics was named after this fictional corporation.