IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2022 - 94

our societies (SDG 9 " Innovation and
Infrastructure " ), such as dams, bridges,
ports, and plants [23]. Robots may also
help with urban mobility, autonomous
vehicles, and air vehicles [25].
Finally, several contributions concentrated
on the role of robotics for
responsible production and consumption
(SDG 12 " Responsible Consumption " ),
focusing on meat processing [26] or
more generally by using proactive robot
systems to influence human behavior
and reduce unnecessary consumption
of food, water, and energy [27].
Although these examples suggest
that robotics can play varied and important
roles in enabling the SDGs, some
panelists underlined the need to stay
humble and acknowledge practical and
real challenges facing the use of robotics
as enablers of the goals. The SDGs are
complex, ill-defined challenges of a large
magnitude, which technology alone cannot
address. As an example, although the
use of medical robots can improve the
quality of health care (SDG 3 " Good
Health " ), robots cannot help with providing
health insurance coverage for all.
Challenges in Adoption of
Robotics for the SDGs
Although there are many interesting
applications of robotics for the SDGs,
some panelists noted a long time of
adoption and slow diffusion of robotics
innovations. In other words, the potential
of the current capacities of robotics as an
enabler of the SDGs is not fully exploited.
There are several reasons for that,
which were discussed by the panelists.
Representation of
Robotics in Society
The panelists emphasized the fact that
most government agencies, which are
often the most important facilitating
stakeholders of the SDGs, misunderstood
the opportunities offered by
robotics. The media's representation of
robots, which focuses on humanoid
robots, hides the real possibilities supported
by robots adapted to specific situations
and tasks. In addition, the
current hyperbole on robotics and artificial
intelligence (AI) sometimes leads
to a backlash: when a robotic solution is
considered and tested, customers often
have very high expectations, for example,
based on online videos with perfectly
performing robots, without showing
the unseen preparation work. The disappointment
of these expectations often
leads to rash conclusions of the general
irrelevance of robots for these tasks.
The SDGs and the Robotics
Community
On the other hand, the panelists underlined
that the robotics community does
not have a strong awareness of the
SDGs. By having different models and
trying to achieve different goals, the
robotics and SDGs communities do not
always interact well. Therefore, more
workshops and other initiatives to bring
these communities closer are needed.
Economics
The use of technology to enable the
SDGs has to be understood from the
point of view of an economic system.
For robotics to be adopted, it must be
an economically suitable solution. This
is currently not always the case.
Impact of Sanitary and
Environmental Crises
During the COVID-19 crisis, a significant
change in the use of robots for
disaster relief [28] was observed by a
panelist. Governments were not the
only consumers; companies and individuals
also bought robots, for example,
for delivery services or continuity of
work [29], [30]. This dynamic, combined
with the increased awareness for
the need of sustainability due to the climate
change crisis, may have pushed
the use of robotics for the SDGs to a tipping
point, and the rate of adoption
may increase in the coming years.
Undesirable Effects of Robotics
on the SDGs
As with every technology, robotics is an
ambiguous tool that can be used in positive
or negative ways with respect to the
SDGs [31]. In this section, we do not
focus on applications of robotics where
the objective in itself is unethical, but
more on the undesirable side effects of a
potentially positive deployment.
94 * IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE * MARCH 2022
As stated by a panelist, it is important
to identify all the effects in advance
because one negative impact can overshadow
all the positive effects. As
defined by the UN, the SDGs are integrated
and indivisible [2]: although
sometimes they may conflict,
it is
important to consider all of them when
deploying a robotic solution.
Similar to the " Opportunities for
Robotics and the SDGs " section, the following
survey is not exhaustive but
aims to demonstrate the different
dimensions of possible negative impacts
of the use of robotics.
Impact on Jobs
The impact of automation on the availability
of jobs is a common concern
when talking about the deployment of
robotics. The panelists emphasized that
job evolution, disappearance, and creation
is hazardous to predict. Although
automation has the potential to transform
the job market, it is not certain
that it will do so by reducing the number
of jobs. Historically, technological
innovations have made jobs disappear;
however, new jobs have been created.
Although the displacement of jobs is
extensively studied in the literature,
the positive effects of automation on
the economy was not sufficiently
addressed, as identified by [32]. An
interesting novelty with robotics is that
the jobs that can be automated are no
longer the ones that require simple
skills [33], but also some that are
deemed more advanced, such as the
medical specialties of surgery, radiology,
or dermatology.
Additionally, the deployment of
technology will create new jobs in the
design, application, and maintenance of
robotics solutions. Although these jobs
can bring new opportunities, they may
be " invisible " to the users and can be
underestimated or neglected. To prevent
a regression in SDGs 8 and 10
( " Good Jobs and Economic Growth "
and " Reduced Inequalities " ), this work
must be appropriately recognized.
Environmental Impact
The massive deployment of robots may
cause a significant impact all through
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