My Keepon also has the backing of one of the world’s largest toy stores, Toys “R” Us, which has the exclusive U.S. rights to sell the robot, originally a therapeutic tool for autistic children.

A fuzzy yellow robot initially used for autism therapy is going mainstream this fall, with Toys “R” Us marketing a consumer version that very well could be the next must-have Christmas item. The robot ...

On Jan. 25, 1921, Karel Čapek’s play “R.U.R.”—short for “Rossum ... to which it introduced the word “robot.” Čapek’s vision of unwilling slaves of humanity destined to rise ...