Climate change, resource consumption, and the energy crisis pose major challenges for our society. Robotics could make a significant contribution to addressing these challenges—but this requires a shift in thinking.
In a manifesto published in the journal "Nature Machine Intelligence" , researchers propose a new scientific discipline: “Sustainability Robotics.” In the future, robots should not only become more efficient and intelligent, but also be specifically designed and deployed to contribute to environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Robotics and (physical) artificial intelligence are advancing rapidly. At the same time, global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity are intensifying. While robotics has traditionally 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?
The goal is to evaluate robotic systems in the future not only based on their technical capabilities but also on their impact on the environment, society, and the economy. “Until now, robotics has focused primarily on what machines can do,” says Kovač, head of the Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics at Empa and EPFL. “The next step is to ask what role robots should play in building a sustainable future.”
More Than Just “Green” Robotics
Sustainability already plays an important role in the field of “green robotics.” However, the authors of the manifesto take a decisive step further. In their view, 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 of Robotics at the IIT, emphasizes the importance of sustainability throughout the entire life cycle of robotics: “We should draw inspiration from living organisms that perform remarkable functions while minimizing energy and material consumption.”
Sustainability Robotics as a Distinct Scientific Discipline
In this context, researchers distinguish between two complementary goals: On the one hand, robots themselves should become more sustainable—for example, through the responsible use of materials, a circular economy, and lower energy consumption. On the other hand—and this goes beyond “green” robotics—robotic systems should be specifically deployed to monitor environmental changes, support disaster response efforts, or maintain critical infrastructure. Possible applications range from bio ly degradable drones and air-water robots for monitoring ecosystems to flying robots for inspecting hard-to-reach infrastructure. “Our goal is not just to make robots more sustainable,” says Kovač. “We want to establish sustainability robotics as an independent scientific discipline.”
Guiding Principles for the Robotics of Tomorrow
At the heart of the manifesto are three guiding principles. Robotic systems should be minimally invasive, universally accessible, and symbiotic. Minimally invasive robotics should 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 benefit only affluent regions or specialized industries. Technologies should be affordable, maintainable, and deployable even where they are most urgently needed.
The 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 matters most is: Who benefits from it—and what impact do these autonomous systems have on our planet?”
Further Developing Robotics for Regeneration and Mutual Benefit
For example, automated systems could monitor damaged coral reefs in the future and support their regeneration. In contrast, there are applications such as robotics for deep-sea mining, whose ecological consequences may well be viewed critically. For the researchers, this comparison shows that what matters is not solely what robots are technically capable of, but rather the purpose they serve and the relationship they establish with their environment. “We use the term ‘symbiotic’ because we want to advance robotics beyond mere efficiency and resource utilization toward regeneration, responsibility, and mutual benefit,” explains Kovač.
From Vision to Practical Application
The ideas outlined in the manifesto are already shaping research at the joint “Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics” run by Empa and EPFL, which Kovač leads as part of his joint professorship. The lab combines robotics, “Physical AI,” materials science, and environmental science to develop mobile robotic systems for distributed environmental monitoring and autonomous manufacturing in complex natural environments. Key research areas include bio-inspired robotics, multifunctional hardware, and multimodal locomotion. With this interdisciplinary approach, Kovač’s team aims to translate the principles of sustainability robotics into concrete technologies while simultaneously advancing research, teaching, and international collaboration in this new field of research.
These activities are complemented by the “Competence Center for Sustainability Robotics” (CCSR). Currently being established at Empa, the competence center is supported by the Canton of Schaffhausen and promotes research, innovation, and collaboration to further advance sustainability robotics.
Contributions to ecosystems, infrastructure, and quality of life are crucial
In the long term, sustainability in robotics should become just as much a given as safety standards are today. “The success of sustainability robotics is not measured by how many robots we build,” Kovač is convinced. “What matters most is the positive contribution these systems make to ecosystems, infrastructure, and people’s quality of life.”
