I, Robot Analysis: Herbie, Nestor, and Byerley Explained

Herbie's Telepathic Abilities

What special power does Herbie have?

Herbie can read people’s minds.

How does Herbie use this power?

• Susan: The robot makes her believe Milton loves her, which is untrue.
• Alfred: Herbie makes Alfred believe it doesn’t know what went wrong, despite knowing the truth.
• Bogert: Herbie tells Bogert he will be the next director and is a better mathematician than the robot.
• Milton: Because the robot told Susan that Milton is in love with her, she changes her treatment of him, which confuses Milton.

Why does the robot behave this way?

Because it cannot harm humans, and telling the truth would hurt their feelings. It is protecting them emotionally.

How and why does Susan Calvin destroy Herbie?

She gives the robot a problem that cannot be solved, forcing it to hurt someone’s feelings. She destroys it because she considers it a liar.

The Nestor Robots

Why were the Nestors modified?

They were modified to obey only parts of the First Law. This allows humans to work in radiation zones without the Nestors attempting to protect them.

Why was the Nestor 10 lost?

Because General Black told it to “get lost,” and it obeyed.

The Three Tests

The scientists conducted three tests:

• Cubicles: Robots sat in cubicles so they could not see each other.
• Heat radiation: Used during one test; it is harmful to humans but not to robots.
• Gamma radiation: Used during the final test; it is harmful to robots but, in small amounts, not harmful to humans.

Did the tests succeed or fail?

Two tests failed because all robots reacted the same way. The third was a success because Nestor 10 tried to save Doctor Calvin and was caught.

Why did Nestor 10 move during the third test?

Because it understood physics better than the other robots; it knew there was no actual gamma radiation.

The Byerley Case

Why does Quinn tell the story about Byerley?

Quinn is a politician who wants to win the election. Byerley is a rival candidate, and Quinn fears he might be a robot.

How to prove Byerley is a robot

Susan Calvin suggests two methods:

1. Physically examine him to see if he is human or robotic.
2. Force him to break one of the Three Laws of Robotics.

What happens when Byerley speaks to the crowd?

A man gets on stage and asks Byerley to hit him. Byerley complies, seemingly breaking one of the Three Laws.

What was Quinn's theory?

Quinn believes that Byerley is a robot created by the real Byerley, who suffered a terrible accident and built the robot to replace him.

Why does Susan Calvin still suspect Byerley?

She suspects that the man Byerley hit was also a robot, meaning Byerley did not actually violate any of the Three Laws.