This contribution analyzes reception peculiarities of Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. as an example of a dialogue between two cultures, the Russian and the Czech, and between two periods – the first half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. The contribution focuses on the plays reception in Russian cultural area and in the Russian language. The main aspect of analyzing is based on reader’s spontaneous reception, which isn't determined by literary critics’ research and its results. Finally, here is shown a problematic reception of a robot, which is connected with significant points of the 21st century readers world perception.