Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems

Solène Guenat^{1

2}, Phil Purnell³, Zoe G Davies⁴, Maximilian Nawrath⁵, Lindsay C Stringer⁶, Giridhara Rathnaiah Babu⁷, Muniyandi Balasubramanian⁸, Erica E F Ballantyne⁹, Bhuvana Kolar Bylappa¹⁰, Bei Chen¹¹, Peta De Jager¹², Andrea Del Prete¹³, Alessandro Di Nuovo¹⁴, Cyril O Ehi-Eromosele¹⁵, Mehran Eskandari Torbaghan¹⁶, Karl L Evans¹⁷, Markus Fraundorfer¹⁸, Wissem Haouas¹⁹, Josephat U Izunobi²⁰, Juan Carlos Jauregui-Correa²¹, Bilal Y Kaddouh²², Sonia Lewycka²³, Ana C MacIntosh²⁴, Christine Mady²⁵, Carsten Maple²⁶, Worku N Mhiret²⁷, Rozhen Kamal Mohammed-Amin²⁸, Olukunle Charles Olawole²⁹, Temilola Oluseyi²⁰, Caroline Orfila³⁰, Alessandro Ossola³¹, Marion Pfeifer³², Tony Pridmore³³, Moti L Rijal³⁴, Christine C Rega-Brodsky³⁵, Ian D Robertson³⁶, Christopher D F Rogers¹⁶, Charles Rougé³⁷, Maryam B Rumaney³⁸, Mmabaledi K Seeletso³⁹, Mohammed Z Shaqura²², L M Suresh⁴⁰, Martin N Sweeting⁴¹, Nick Taylor Buck⁴², M U Ukwuru⁴³, Thomas Verbeek¹¹, Hinrich Voss⁴⁴, Zia Wadud⁴⁵, Xinjun Wang⁴⁶, Neil Winn¹⁸, Martin Dallimer⁴⁷

Affiliations

¹ Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. solene.guenat@ilpoe.uni-stuttgart.de.
² Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. solene.guenat@ilpoe.uni-stuttgart.de.
³ School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁴ Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
⁵ Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁶ Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK.
⁷ Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
⁸ Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, India.
⁹ Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmacology, St John's Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, India.
¹¹ Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
¹² Smart Places, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
¹³ Industrial Engineering Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
¹⁴ Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁵ Department of Chemistry, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.
¹⁶ Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
¹⁷ School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁸ School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
¹⁹ Department of Automatic Control and Micro-Mechatronic Systems, Femto-st Institute, Besançon, France.
²⁰ Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
²¹ Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
²² School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
²³ Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
²⁴ Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK.
²⁵ Department of Architecture, Notre Dame University-Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon.
²⁶ WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
²⁷ College of Natural and Computational Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
²⁸ Digital Cultural Heritage Research Center, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
²⁹ Department of Physics, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.
³⁰ Global Food and Environment Institute, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
³¹ Department of Plant Sciences, University of CA, Davis, MA, USA.
³² School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
³³ School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
³⁴ Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
³⁵ Department of Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, USA.
³⁶ School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
³⁷ Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
³⁸ MB Rumaney Scientific Consulting, Cape Town, South Africa.
³⁹ SADC Centre for Distance Education, Botswana Open University, Gaborone, Botswana.
⁴⁰ International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁴¹ FAIR-SPACE, Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
⁴² The Urban Institute, Faculty of Social Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
⁴³ Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal Polytechnic Idah, Idah, Nigeria.
⁴⁴ HEC Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁴⁵ Institute for Transport Studies and School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁴⁶ Department of Environmental Design, School of Art and Design, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou, China.
⁴⁷ Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. m.dallimer@leeds.ac.uk.

PMID: 35729171
PMCID: PMC9211790
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31150-5

Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems

Solène Guenat et al. Nat Commun. 2022.

. 2022 Jun 21;13(1):3559.

doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31150-5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. solene.guenat@ilpoe.uni-stuttgart.de.
² Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. solene.guenat@ilpoe.uni-stuttgart.de.
³ School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁴ Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
⁵ Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁶ Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK.
⁷ Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
⁸ Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, India.
⁹ Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmacology, St John's Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, India.
¹¹ Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
¹² Smart Places, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
¹³ Industrial Engineering Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
¹⁴ Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁵ Department of Chemistry, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.
¹⁶ Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
¹⁷ School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁸ School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
¹⁹ Department of Automatic Control and Micro-Mechatronic Systems, Femto-st Institute, Besançon, France.
²⁰ Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
²¹ Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
²² School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
²³ Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
²⁴ Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK.
²⁵ Department of Architecture, Notre Dame University-Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon.
²⁶ WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
²⁷ College of Natural and Computational Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
²⁸ Digital Cultural Heritage Research Center, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
²⁹ Department of Physics, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.
³⁰ Global Food and Environment Institute, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
³¹ Department of Plant Sciences, University of CA, Davis, MA, USA.
³² School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
³³ School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
³⁴ Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
³⁵ Department of Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, USA.
³⁶ School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
³⁷ Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
³⁸ MB Rumaney Scientific Consulting, Cape Town, South Africa.
³⁹ SADC Centre for Distance Education, Botswana Open University, Gaborone, Botswana.
⁴⁰ International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁴¹ FAIR-SPACE, Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
⁴² The Urban Institute, Faculty of Social Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
⁴³ Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal Polytechnic Idah, Idah, Nigeria.
⁴⁴ HEC Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁴⁵ Institute for Transport Studies and School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁴⁶ Department of Environmental Design, School of Art and Design, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou, China.
⁴⁷ Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. m.dallimer@leeds.ac.uk.

PMID: 35729171
PMCID: PMC9211790
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31150-5

Abstract

Robotics and autonomous systems are reshaping the world, changing healthcare, food production and biodiversity management. While they will play a fundamental role in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals, associated opportunities and threats are yet to be considered systematically. We report on a horizon scan evaluating robotics and autonomous systems impact on all Sustainable Development Goals, involving 102 experts from around the world. Robotics and autonomous systems are likely to transform how the Sustainable Development Goals are achieved, through replacing and supporting human activities, fostering innovation, enhancing remote access and improving monitoring. Emerging threats relate to reinforcing inequalities, exacerbating environmental change, diverting resources from tried-and-tested solutions and reducing freedom and privacy through inadequate governance. Although predicting future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on the Sustainable Development Goals is difficult, thoroughly examining technological developments early is essential to prevent unintended detrimental consequences. Additionally, robotics and autonomous systems should be considered explicitly when developing future iterations of the Sustainable Development Goals to avoid reversing progress or exacerbating inequalities.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals as presented by the United Nations (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/), with their numbers, icons, titles and full text.**
Descriptions of the targets are given in Supplementary Figs. 3–11. The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

**Fig. 2. Horizon scan process used to identify the opportunities and threats from robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) deployment for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).**
The horizon scan comprised of a three steps process including an online questionnaire, a group synthesis exercise and a workshop. HIC high-income countries, LMIC low-and middle-income countries.

Fig. 3. Description of each opportunity and threat, with proportion of questionnaire participants identifying each, highlighting the level to which each opportunity or threat is considered relevant for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
See Fig. 1 and https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ for SDG icon definitions and further information. The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

**Fig. 4. Impact of RAS on the SDGs and the difficulty to predict said impact, as rated by the online questionnaire participants.**
a Overall impact of RAS on the SDGs; b Difficulty to predict the impact of RAS on the SDGs. Percentage values indicate the proportion of participants giving negative, neutral and positive scores. See Fig. 1 and https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ for SDG icon definitions and further information. The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. United Nations. Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. (United Nations, 2015).
1. Pradhan P, Costa L, Rybski D, Lucht W, Kropp JP. A Systematic Study of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Interactions. Earth’s Futur. 2017;5:1169–1179. doi: 10.1002/2017EF000632. - DOI
1. Scheyvens R, Banks G, Hughes E. The Private Sector and the SDGs: The Need to Move Beyond ‘Business as Usual’. Sustain. Dev. 2016;24:371–382. doi: 10.1002/sd.1623. - DOI
1. Brault, M. A. et al. Global health action measuring child survival for the Millennium Development Goals in Africa: what have we learned and what more is needed to evaluate the Sustainable Development Goals? 10.1080/16549716.2020.1732668 (2020). - PMC - PubMed
1. Blicharska, M. et al. Biodiversity’s contributions to sustainable development. Nat. Sustainability10.1038/s41893-019-0417-9 (2019).

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Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems

Affiliations

Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

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MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources