One theory readily accepted by investigators is that many of the UFO sightings are of "scout" ships who take exploratory journeys to our planet´s surface, while a mother ship hovers some where out of sight. Many propose that these scout ships are occupied by a robotic, mechanical being.

A few contactees have noted robot-like figures, whose movements strongly suggest that these are robots sent remotely by the extraterrestrials to observe, monitor, and possibly retrieve objects. The robot-like figures appear to be relegated to the more impersonal tasks of information - gathering and stealthy surveillance.