An international research team led by Mirko Kovač from Empa is advocating for the creation of a new scientific discipline: ‚Sustainability Robotics‘. In the future, robots are not only intended to become more efficient and intelligent, but also to be specifically developed and deployed in a way that contributes to ecological, social, and economic sustainability.
Robotics and (physical) artificial intelligence are developing rapidly. At the same time, global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and resource scarcity are intensifying. While robotics has so far focused primarily on criteria such as precision, speed and autonomy, researchers are now asking a different, more fundamental question: What role should robots play in building a sustainable future?
In a scientific paper, an international research team led by Empa researcher Mirko Kovač therefore proposes the creation of a new scientific discipline: «Sustainability Robotics,» i.e., robotics in the service of sustainability. The aim is to evaluate robotic systems in the future not only on their technical performance but also on their impact on the environment, society, and economy.
More than Green Robotic
While sustainability already plays an important role in the field of ‚Green Robotics‘, researchers are taking a crucial step further. They argue that it is not enough to simply reduce the ecological footprint of robots. Rather, robotics must actively contribute to solving sustainability challenges. Barbara Mazzolai, deputy director for Robotics at the Italian Institute of Technology, emphasises the importance of sustainability across the entire life cycle of robotics. Researchers distinguish two complementary goals: on the one hand, robots themselves should become more sustainable, and on the other hand, they should be specifically used to monitor environmental changes or maintain critical infrastructure.
Guiding Principles for the Robotics of Tomorrow
The focus is on three guiding principles: minimally invasive, universally accessible, and symbiotic. Minimally invasive robotics aims to keep ecological, biological, and societal impacts as low as possible. This includes, for example, energy-efficient systems, compostable electronics, or robots that can be repaired and reused. Universal accessibility means that robotics should not only benefit affluent regions or specialised industries, but that technologies should be affordable, maintainable, and deployable where they are most urgently needed.
Researchers attach particular importance to the concept of symbiosis. Robotics should not only perform individual tasks efficiently but also create the greatest possible benefit for people, the environment, and the economy. „The most important question is not whether a robot is technically advanced,“ says Kovač. „What’s more crucial is: who benefits from it – and what impact do the autonomous systems have on our planet?“
From vision to practical application
The formulated ideas are already shaping research at Empa and EPFL's ‚Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics‘. The lab combines robotics, Physical AI, material science, and environmental science to develop mobile robotic systems for distributed environmental monitoring and autonomous manufacturing in complex natural environments. These activities are supplemented by the ‚Competence Centre for Sustainability Robotics‘ (CCSR), which promotes research, innovation, and collaboration for the advancement of sustainability robotics. In the long term, sustainability in robotics is intended to become as standard as safety standards are today.
Source: Empa
