Researchers in Germany have connected a robotic arm to the cockpit section of an airplane to create perhaps the world's most realistic flight simulator. Designed by aeronautics firm DLR, the simulator uses a large mechanical arm built by KUKA, a pioneer in robotics and automation technology, to swing a Diamond DA40/42 around a virtual sky and runways and taxiways.

 From the outside it looks like just a large industrial robotic arm with a cockpit, but to the pilot inside the simulator, it feels like a real aircraft. And designers think they are getting close to offering a version of the technology for the simulator market that could herald a revolution in flight training.

It is the first robot-based flight simulator in the world, and DLR says it will one day be used for training pilots all around the globe. The DLR researchers, along with partners Grenzebach Maschinenbau and KUKA, have been awarded the euRobotics Technology Transfer Award for the design. The prize is given annually to projects that combine research findings with commercial applications.