Footage shows Darpa's 'robot pilot' flying a 737 simulator

A new video shows an autonomous'robot pilot' successfully flying and landing a Boeing 737 in a simulator. The creepy robotic arm shifts around the cockpit as it rhythmically changes the air speed, adjusts the wing flaps and fires up the thrusters in preparation for landing. The project has been masterminded by the US Department of Defence's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The successful test takes the technology one step closer to transforming military planes and helicopters into autonomous flying machines. But the Alias robot goes a step further. For example, an array of cameras allows the robot to see all the cockpit instruments and read the gauges.