In Karel Čapek's dystopian play R.U.R., what does the abbreviation in the title stand for?

In Karel Čapek's dystopian play R.U.R., the abbreviation stands for Rossum's Universal Robots.

The title names the fictional company that manufactures artificial workers. The company is founded by Rossum and his nephew, and its creations are called robots. The word “robot” entered international usage through this 1920 play, making R.U.R. a landmark in the cultural history of artificial beings.

Čapek's robots are not mechanical machines in the modern sense. They are manufactured biological workers, produced to labor for humans. The play explores exploitation, industrial production, rebellion, and the consequences of treating life as a commodity.

The title is sometimes expanded incorrectly as “Rossum's United Robots” or “Rossum's Universal Robotic.” The established English expansion is “Rossum's Universal Robots,” while the original Czech title is Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti.