Soft robotics technology can aid in achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement through development of autonomous, environmentally responsible machines powered by renewable energy. By utilizing soft robotics, we can mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change on human society and the natural world through fostering adaptation, restoration, and remediation. Moreover, the implementation of soft robotics can lead to groundbreaking discoveries in material science, biology, control systems, energy efficiency, and sustainable manufacturing processes. However, to achieve these goals, we need further improvements in understanding biological principles at the basis of embodied and physical intelligence, environment-friendly materials, and energy-saving strategies to design and manufacture self-piloting and field-ready soft robots. This paper provides insights on how soft robotics can address the pressing issue of environmental sustainability. Sustainable manufacturing of soft robots at a large scale, exploring the potential of biodegradable and bioinspired materials, and integrating onboard renewable energy sources to promote autonomy and intelligence are some of the urgent challenges of this field that we discuss in this paper. Specifically, we will present field-ready soft robots that address targeted productive applications in urban farming, healthcare, land and ocean preservation, disaster remediation, and clean and affordable energy, thus supporting some of the SDGs. By embracing soft robotics as a solution, we can concretely support economic growth and sustainable industry, drive solutions for environment protection and clean energy, and improve overall health and well-being.

翻译：软体机器人技术可通过开发由可再生能源驱动的自主、环境友好型机器，助力实现联合国可持续发展目标（SDGs）及《巴黎气候协定》。利用软体机器人技术，我们能够通过促进适应、恢复与修复，减缓气候变化对人类社与自然世界的有害影响。此外，软体机器人的应用将推动材料科学、生物学、控制系统、能源效率及可持续制造工艺领域的突破性发现。然而，为实现这些目标，需进一步深化对具身智能与物理智能所依赖的生物原理、环境友好型材料及节能策略的理解，从而设计并制造可自主导航且适应实地环境的软体机器人。本文阐释了软体机器人如何应对环境可持续性的紧迫挑战。文中重点讨论了该领域面临的若干关键挑战：大规模可持续制造软体机器人、探索可生物降解及仿生材料的潜力、集成机载可再生能源以提升自主性与智能性。具体而言，我们将介绍面向城市农业、医疗保健、陆地与海洋保护、灾害修复以及清洁可负担能源等目标生产应用的实地型软体机器人，从而支持部分可持续发展目标。将软体机器人作为解决方案，可切实推动经济增长与可持续产业、驱动环境保护与清洁能源解决方案，并全面提升人类健康与福祉。