Especially in the aftermath of the coal mine explosion that rocked West Virginia earlier this week, the issue seems even more relevant.
If we can navigate the Mars Rover from Earth or send pilotless spy planes into enemy zones, why can't the mining industry rely on smart machines instead of risking the lives of men?
Experts say that while the future of robotics is bright, there are still limits on what the technology can do.
"You can think of the robotic technologies that are coming as [ones] that are going to be able to supplement mine operations and certainly be able to work their way into rescue situations," said Chuck Whittaker, a field and test engineer for Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.
Over the past few years, he said, researchers have developed robots that could autonomously explore and map underground mines.
In 2002, the Groundhog robot was sent into an abandoned coal mine inaccessible to humans because of low oxygen levels and toxic mud. With its laser range sensors, a night vision camera, gas detectors and a gyroscope, the robot was designed to move through a mine to gather information potentially helpful to humans.
Carnegie Mellon researchers subsequently developed the Cave Crawler, a smaller, more mobile version of the Groundhog. The idea behind both robots is to gather photographs, physical measurements and other data about a subterranean space to build accurate models for humans.
For example, Whittaker said, if a mining company needs to change tactics and re-route through an old, sealed mine, information gathered by robots could provide preliminary information about the way ahead.
"Mines are vast," he said. "For the people working there, they have a lot that has to get done. A good part of it has to do with managing safety and managing information about the mines as they're working."
Information provided by robots, he said, could help make the process more efficient.
Similarly, he said, robots could help speed up rescue efforts. While strict procedures govern how rescue personnel can advance in a rescue situation, Whittaker said, those procedures don't apply to inanimate robots. Once issues regarding the safety and durability of the machines are addressed, robots could be sent ahead to help locate trapped miners.
But while robotics might have several applications for the mining industry, he doubted humans would soon -- if ever -- be displaced.
"I think it'll be a long time before we see people displaced in mining situations," Whittaker said. Not only are humans needed to consider the many variables at play during mining, he said the economics aren't there to support fully automated mining.
While coal is actively being mined, he said, the infrastructure constantly changes. At this point, humans are necessary to evaluate how to proceed in the face of soft floors, weak roofs and other challenges that emerge, he said.
Another obstacle to remote-controlled mining robots, is communicating through potentially hundreds of feet of rock.