The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and aerospace company Aurora Flight Sciences are working on a robotic arm called ALIAS that will reduce the number of pilots needed in military missions. The tests are going well, and the device is already capable of handling a Cessna Caravan aircraft like the one in the photo. You can see it in this video.
How does it work? ALIAS, which fits in the passenger seat, has cameras that monitor the position of the controls and switches in the cockpit, and read information from the on-board instruments. This information reaches a computer that is responsible for moving the robotic arm so that it performs the necessary maneuvers with the levers and pedals of the plane.
The goal is for the system to take over the piloting of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, so that real airmen can focus on analyzing the data collected and setting priorities rather than just keeping the aircraft in flight.
DARPA's next step in this project will be to add voice recognition software so that crew members can interact with ALIAS as if it were a human companion.
