Puma 250 has dexterity, but little muscle

Robots may not have personalities, but they do exhibit a high degree of individuality.

Unimation's Puma 250, for example, resembles a human arm, handles high speed assembly work, but can not lift more than 15 pounds.

By contrast, GCA's XR series of robots hangs from a massive overhead frame that would fill a good sized garage. But the GCA machine can move objects weighing up to 2,500 pounds.

Like all robots, the XR and the Puma models share three things: an arm or maniplator which does the work, a power supply which provides the energy to handle the job, and a control system to direct the robot's efforts. The O rol system also lets factory managers shift the robot into a new job fairly readily. This ''reprogramability'' is a key element in distinguishing between robots and other automated production equipment.