DO ROBOTS BELONG ON THE STAGE?

WE ARE GETTING USED TO HAVING ROBOTS IN OUR HOMES, STORES, AND FACTORIES. What about onstage? In fact, the word robot comes from a play.

- KATHRYN HULICK

In R.U.R., people performed as the machine-like creatures. More recently, though, some directors and artists have invited actual robots to share the stage in dances and other performances. Catie Cuan is one of them. "Robots are for everyone," she says.

Cuan began her career as a dancer and choreographer-a person who maps out the movements of dancers. But then she fell in love with robots and has pioneered a new field called robot choreography. Today, she's studying robotics as a PhD student at Stanford University in Northern California.