Robot flies as passenger from LA to Frankfurt

A humanoid robot with a head, hands and feet and wearing stylish red sneakers boarded a flight for Germany at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday, becoming what was billed as the first robot traveling as a paid passenger on an airline.

The robot, named Athena, created a scene at the Tom Bradley International Terminal as she was pushed in a wheelchair up to the Lufthansa counter to pick up her ticket to Frankfurt.

Television crews swarmed, camera flashes went off and people aimed their cell-phone cameras at her, exclaiming: "It's a robot!"

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