One doesn't have to be a fan of Philip K. Dick to recognize that robots are already participating in our daily routines to the extent that their activities have legal implications. That will become more important as they act with more autonomy, and the law will have to change to deal with it.

The latest edition of Science features a multi-part report on the current state of robotics and its future. Leaving aside the discussions therein of pure technology, the most fascinating article is an interview with Ryan Calo of the University of Washington law school. Calo's forthcoming paper on "Robots and the Lessons of Cyberlaw" will appear in a forthcoming issue of the California Law Review.