Instead of flesh and bone they are made of steel, wires and plastics. Instead of an organic brain their mind is made of circuitry and a powerful computer. Robot is a Special Good Trait that costs 2 points as a robot of normal appearance – that is, they look like a robot, such as K-9, a Host, a Roboform or even Kamelion (one of the Doctor’s earlier companions). However, the trait can be purchased at a higher level, costing 4 points, which means externally you look convincingly human – most of the time people will assume you are human unless you’re injured or display inhuman abilities.
Robot means the character is a robot. They have attributes, skills and traits, just like a living character. However, their attributes can be raised above level 6, and they can purchase Gadget Traits. These are traits normally used only in Gadgets, but this means that traits such as Forcefield or Scan, can be built directly into the robot character!
Robot also means that the character does not die from old age (though their power supply may need replacing). When a robot takes a physical injury, it loses attributes just like a person, though it will not heal itself over time – either itself or another suitably skilled technician will need to conduct repairs (using Ingenuity + Technology), with a level of injury repaired equal to the level of success. A robot character can be ‘killed’ and repaired, returning to fully operational level, though if the damage is severe enough (such as being disintegrated or dropped into a furnace or vat of molten metal) the robot is unlikely to be salvageable.
Robots normally learn over time, and can increase their mental skills just as a human, however physical skills and attributes will require some form of ‘upgrading’ to take into account the increased ability. Of course, in most cases a robot does have the disadvantage of standing out in a crowd and scaring primitive civilisations!