[Many problems in robotics can be solved effectively assuming an adversarial approach. E.g. problems involving "some piece of hardware" vs "the real world", but considering the real world and h/w actually know something about each other and try to stuff the other up in some semi-optimal sense. Think of it as real-world Murphology. I've applied simple game theory to things as simple as sharing a communication channel; ending up with a randomised algorithm that seems to perform better IRL than exponential back-off -- a.k.a. "ethernet"].

Software Randomizes Airport Patrols
Security Management (09/08) Straw, Joseph

University of Southern California (USC) researchers have developed Assistant for Randomized Monitoring Over Routes (ARMOR), a new software program that could help security forces avoid becoming predictable. ARMOR has a decision-making algorithm that enables the program to create random routes for security patrols while still maintaining the desired coverage. ARMOR was developed based on Praveen Paruchuri's 2007 doctoral thesis, which analyzed how to apply game theory to multi-agent systems, specifically an environment is which agents, adversaries, and technology interact. In the thesis, Paruchuri used the example of a humanitarian relief mission guarded by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The mission's geography is divided into standard grid squares, and each one, including supply routes and storage warehouses, is assigned a risk value. By using a randomization algorithm that incorporates risk data, the UAV could autonomously patrol the area, with the algorithm directin g the vehicle to monitor risky areas more frequently. The software has since been customized for the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Miling Tambe, Paruchuri's advisor at USC's Viterbi School of Engineering, notes that ARMOR is intended to act as an assistant that recommends scheduling and locations and is not intended to dictate patrol scheduling. A six-month pilot program at LAX ended earlier this year, and the software is now a permanent part of the airport's security.
Web Link