Runaround

“Runaround” 
In: I, Robot 
Isaac Asimov 
Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1950
Central Library
Vanderbilt University Libraries

Asimov’s short story “Runaround” is the first publication to express his Three Laws of Robotics. Core to the story is Speedy, a robot trapped in a logic loop, in which two of the laws—one requiring him to act to preserve human life, and the other to preserve his own existence—are in conflict. The story remains a classic in science fiction for treating robots as helpful companions, rather than threats, and for the portrayal of engineers as essential problem solvers on the space exploration frontier.