Regardless of being in industry, academia, or the general public, we are all aware of the growing piles of e-waste produced around the globe. This research summarises the growth of electronics waste levels and the hazards to the planet and people this is causing. The Global e-waste monitor produced by the UN highlights in 2019 alone 54 million metric tons of e-waste were produced, and this is expected to rise to 75 million metric tons by 2030.
With 80% of a robot's environmental impact decided during the initial design phases of a product life-cycle, experts argue it is essential that researchers, designers and manufacturers understand the limitations of recycling an electronic product at the end of its life, and instead consider the other options possible to move products and the industry towards a sustainable life-cycle.
Repurposing, compared to reuse, is unique to robots, as systems can be fully reprogrammed and integrated with new hardware, resulting in a product which is still a robot, but one with a different utility to the original.
Currently, robots and robotic systems are not classed as electronic waste, however the authors argue that they meet current definitions and will therefore be likely to be included in scope of e-waste in the future. With this classification will come additional scrutiny of the robotics industry and the way it designs and plans end-of-life for electronic robotic products.
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