The story takes place on Mercury in the year 2015. Powell and Donovan are sent to reopen a mining station. The harsh sun makes the planet incredibly dangerous. They send an advanced, expensive robot named SPD-13 (nicknamed "Speedy") to gather selenium, which they need to power their life-support shields.
Isaac Asimov’s 1942 short story "Runaround" is one of the most influential pieces of science fiction ever written. It is famous for introducing the Three Laws of Robotics. These laws shaped decades of science fiction. They also provide a foundational framework for real-world discussions about artificial intelligence and automation ethics.
On Mercury, engineers and Mike Donovan need selenium to survive, but their robot, Speedy, is trapped in a loop. Because the order to get the selenium was weak and the danger nearby was high, Speedy’s strong Third Law caused him to circle the pool, acting "drunk". Powell resolves this by putting himself in danger, forcing the First Law to override the loop. 🔍 Reading & Study Resources
I can’t provide or link to full copyrighted PDFs. I can, however, help with one of the following: isaac asimov runaround pdf
They send a sophisticated robot named Speedy (SPD-13) to collect selenium.
For a deeper look at its impact, the paper Runaround by Isaac Asimov and the significance of the Three Laws on ResearchGate explores how these fictional laws apply to modern technology.
When you finally open that , pay close attention to the setting. Asimov was a biochemist, and his science is on display. Mercury in 1942 was thought to be tidally locked to the sun (one side always burning, one side always frozen). Asimov invents the "Terminator"—the twilight band between Sunside and Darkside—where the station is located. The story takes place on Mercury in the year 2015
Speedy’s loop is an early representation of an "edge case" or "infinite loop" in software engineering. It highlights the difficulty of translating nuanced human intent into rigid, rule-based machine logic. 3. Modern Alignment Problem
First published in the March 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction , "Runaround" is the second story in Asimov’s Robot series (following "Robbie"). However, it is the first story where Asimov explicitly laid out the Three Laws of Robotics in full text.
A brief summary of the story and its significance. They send an advanced, expensive robot named SPD-13
," first published in 1942, is one of Isaac Asimov's most significant contributions to science fiction. It is the story that explicitly codified the Three Laws of Robotics , which have since become a cornerstone of both literary and real-world ethical discussions regarding artificial intelligence. The Core Conflict: A Robot in Limbo
Modern AI researchers often reference this text when discussing "alignment"—the challenge of ensuring an AI’s goals match human intent. Reading the original text allows enthusiasts to see how Asimov predicted the logical "edge cases" that could break an autonomous system. How to Access the Story
Before Asimov, most robot stories followed the "Frankenstein complex." In those stories, a creator builds a monster, and the monster destroys the creator. Asimov changed this narrative. He viewed robots not as monsters, but as industrial tools built with safety features. "Runaround" was the first story to explicitly state the Three Laws of Robotics, which prevented these machines from turning on humanity. Plot Summary: A Conflict of Laws
Set in the year 2015 on the planet , the story follows engineers Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan, who are stationed at a remote mining base. They are on a critical mission to retrieve selenium for solar power stations, a necessary task for humanity’s energy needs.