Small sonar machines have operated down to around 100 feet, sparing divers a difficult and dangerous task. Artificial intelligence is expected to analyse data from those vessels on the spot, rather than after a drone returns.
The Royal Navy recently announced a concept of a hybrid navy, mixing drones with conventional warships. With recruitment and retention challenges facing Nato navies, highly portable robot systems are attractive.
Traversing the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most dangerous trips a vessel can take. Missiles and drones threaten ships from the air, while mines may also be lurking under the surface.
Fear of the unknown is the most potent aspect of the sea-mine threat. Robots are now the weapon of choice to confront that fear.
Finding sea mines has traditionally been the job of specialist mine-hunting vessels, with crews of around 80 sailors. To keep people out of harm's way, an increasing share of the work is done by autonomous systems monitored from the shore.
Those systems might need only 20 personnel, working in shifts on land.
Modern mines rest on the seabed and detonate when they detect an acoustic or magnetic signal, triggering a pressure wave that can break the keel of a passing vessel. The latest mines are designed to blend into their surroundings. Software is used to spot anything that looks like a mine.
There are several ways to search for a mine using robot boats or robot submarines. A search cannot prove that no mines are present, but it can reduce the risk. US robot minehunters can either destroy a mine or mark the spot as a place to avoid.
Autonomous systems are cheaper than conventional minehunters. They can also be deployed, along with containerised control centres, by air.
He has also said that uncrewed or autonomous vessels are not themselves the operating system, and that a robot makes a real difference only as part of a wider scheme. Focusing on individual uncrewed assets, he said, is a mistake.
While robots are on the rise, people remain what really matter in the Strait.