An eerily realistic humanoid robot — purported to be the “world’s first bipedal, musculoskeletal android” — twitched to life in a viral clip, which viewers have slammed as “dystopian” and “terrifying.

Neurotic robots are a staple of science fiction. One study recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable. In science fiction, robots can be neurotic. Think "Star ...