I set up the automator and implemented some test cases.
I can run it via adb comandline instruction. But is there a way to run it directly in the Eclipse environment?
Like JUnit test cases?
As standard, UI Automator tests are compiled and built into a jar file, on a desktop computer, they are then deployed to the device by pushing the jar file to the device using adb. They are then run on the device, in the Android runtime by using adb shell uiautomator
I have not seen anyone else trying to run the test cases directly on the device rather than building them following the approach Google (Android) document. It might be possible, however you may have to work hard to discover whether your approach is possible or viable. UIAutomator is distinct and separate from the Android InstrumentationTestCase framework. Instead it interacts with the GUI and has the advantage of being able to interact with a wide range of apps, including things like the inbuilt Settings UI on Android devices.