From Jim Dunnigan's StrategyPage site:
The 150 UGV (unmanned ground vehicles) sent to Iraq so
far have suffered about a ten percent ?death? rate. Over 70 percent of
these losses were in combat, or, usually, while examining or disabling a
roadside bomb. Others have been destroyed in accidents or because of
component failure. Five different models are being used, and the
performance of each is carefully monitored so that the new ?standard model
UGVs? being planned will avoid the flaws of the current ones. The new
standard UGVs are expected to appear in two or three years. In the
meantime, many other new models are being created, tested and sent off to
combat. Some of the new ones carry weapons, which will be operated
remotely by a soldier or marine.
Every one of the bot casualties likely saved a US soldier from harm. This is one of the imperatives that guarantee this will be a decade of great advance for (semi-autonomous) robotics. Tomorrow in Anaheim, DARPA will hold a briefing session for potential participants in the 2005 edition of its Grand Challenge autonomous vehicle competition. According to a press release I received yesterday, there are over 500 attendees signed up.
The other driver of robotics is the aging population of first world nations. America is partially importing its way out of its demographic inversion. Europe struggles with assimilating the Muslim immigrants it would need to do this. Japan isn't even trying. It's building bots, with many design points indicating their long term destination is healthcare and elder assistance.
We're learning you don't need to do "I, Robot" or big AI to get useful droids. Many of the sensory problems can be beat to death with silicon learning curves. And a little human judgement in the loop on occasion goes a long way. The 2010s may be the Droid Decade, and many will wonder why they didn't see it coming. And once again, America and Japan will lead the way.