An international team of researchers has proposed the creation of a new scientific discipline called Sustainability Robotics, aimed at ensuring future robotic systems actively contribute to sustainability goals.
The concept is outlined in a manifesto published in Nature Machine Intelligence by researchers led by Empa scientist Mirko Kovač, alongside Barbara Mazzolai from the Italian Institute of Technology and Seokheun Song from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology.
The researchers argue that while robotics and physical artificial intelligence are advancing rapidly, global challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss and resource scarcity require a new approach to how robotic technologies are designed and deployed.
“Until now, robotics has focused primarily on what machines can do,” said Kovač. “The next step is to ask what role robots should play in building a sustainable future.”
The proposed discipline expands on the idea of green robotics by focusing not only on reducing the environmental impact of robots but also on using robotic systems to address sustainability challenges directly.
Examples include biodegradable drones, air-water robots that monitor ecosystems, automated systems supporting coral reef regeneration and flying robots that inspect critical infrastructure.
Researchers also emphasise reducing energy consumption, improving repairability and encouraging the use of circular economy principles in robot design.
The manifesto is built around three guiding principles: robotic systems should be minimally invasive, universally accessible and symbiotic.
According to the researchers, technologies should be designed to minimise environmental and social impacts while remaining affordable and practical in regions where they are most needed.
“We use the term ‘symbiotic’ because we want to develop robotics beyond mere efficiency and resource use toward regeneration, responsibility, and mutual benefit,” explained Kovač.
Research into the field is already underway at the Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics, jointly operated by Empa and EPFL.
The team is combining robotics, materials science, environmental science and physical AI to develop systems for environmental monitoring and autonomous operations in complex natural environments.
Researchers hope sustainability considerations will eventually become as fundamental to robotics as safety standards are today.
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