The PUMA (Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly, or Programmable Universal

Manipulation Arm) is an industrial robotic arm developed by Victor Scheinman at pioneering robot
company Unimation. Initially developed for General Motors, the PUMA was based on earlier designs
Scheinman invented while at Stanford University.
Unimation produced PUMAs for years until being purchased by Westinghouse (ca. 1980), and later by
Swiss company Stäubli (1988). Nokia Robotics manufactured about 1500 PUMA robots during the
1980s, the Puma-650 being their most popular model with customers. Some own Nokia Robotics
products were also designed, like Nokia NS-16 Industrial Robot or NRS-15[1] . Nokia sold their
Robotics division in 1990.
In 2002, General Motors Controls, Robotics and Welding (CRW) organization donated the original
prototype PUMA robot to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. It joins
a collection of historically important robots that includes an early Unimate and the Odetics Odex 1.[2]
The essence of the design is represented in three categories; 200, 500, and 700 series. The 200 series is
a smaller desktop unit. Notably, this model was used for the first robotic stereotactic brain biopsy in
1985. The 500 Series and can reach almost 2 meters up. This model is the more popular design and is
the most recognizable configuration. The 700 series is the largest of the group and was intended for
assembly line, paint, and welding work.
All designs consist of two main components: the mechanical arm and the control system. These are
typically interconnected by one or two large multi-conductor cables. When two cables are used, one
carries power to the servo motors and brakes while the second carries the position feedback for each
joint back to the control system.
The control computer is based on the LSI-11 architecture which is very similar to PDP11 computers.
The system has a boot program and basic debug tool loaded on ROM chips. The operating system is
loaded from external storage through a serial port, usually from a floppy disk.
The control unit also contains the servo power supply, analog and digital feedback processing boards,
and servo drive system.
The arm appears in the film Innerspace. An arm was displayed in the "Bird And The Robot" attraction
at the World of Motion pavilion of EPCOT.