Automated Robotics Towards Sustainable Societies
Description: Robots can automate critical tasks to scale sustainability efforts beyond what is achievable by manual labor alone. These tasks include accessing extreme environments to repair renewable energy infrastructure or monitor ecosystem health and improving energy efficiency of goods movement. But robots must be intelligent to carry out useful work in unpredictable natural and built environments, and they must be designed for sustainability and operate with low levels of energy consumption to realize their potential in sustainable societies.
Rationale: Northwestern is home to emerging junior faculty leaders in robotics and to established robotics experts along with the Center for Robotics and Biosystems. Campus is fertile ground for a living laboratory.
Landscape: While robotics programs are growing, holistic programs at the intersection of robotics and sustainability are rare.
Vision: Northwestern pioneers the design of sustainable robots that enhance earth science research and accelerate the transition to sustainable energy and urban systems.