The sustainable management of global environmental and climate change requires innovative methods for resource conservation, emissions reduction, and a circular economy. Automated, sensor-based processes in recycling, water and waste management, and emissions monitoring can increase quality and reduce costs and dependencies. Solutions "Made in Germany" strengthen key markets and exports, creating skilled jobs in operations, maintenance, data analysis, and compliance. However, this also requires clear regulatory guidelines: practical orientation on product safety and liability, data protection-compliant use of environmental, operational, and personal data, and robust IT security – complemented by transparent, fair decision-making processes and responsible human-machine interaction.
The 16 projects funded by the BMFTR's "Digital GreenTech – Environmental Technology Meets Robotics" initiative are primarily located in the areas of forestry and agriculture, environmental and plant monitoring, maintenance and repair, and the circular economy. BRIDGE supports the projects with legal and ethical points to consider, accompanying analyses, knowledge transfer formats, and contributions to standardization. An interdisciplinary consulting approach analyzes the normative framework for the use of AI and robotics and identifies legal hurdles in order to develop ethical and legal courses of action and address regulatory risks at an early stage. Furthermore, BRIDGE, leveraging its extensive and relevant networks, ensures the dissemination and application of the results through publications and standardization tools. It promotes exchange between research projects, other networks and initiatives, and stakeholders, thus creating a close link between science and practice.
As consortium leader, the FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik (Research Center for Information Technology) is responsible for coordination and contributes its proven expertise in AI, robotics, and information law, including legal analyses and practical implementation support. The IZEW is responsible for investigating ethical issues and coordinates the development of a procedural model for the legal-ethical evaluation of intelligent robotics solutions in the environmental sector. Finally, the DIZ | Digitales Innovationszentrum (Digital Innovation Center) acts as a subcontractor, focusing on networking, science communication, and systematic knowledge transfer to the professional community. BRIDGE supports the safe and responsible transfer of research results into sophisticated environmental applications based on robotics and AI, thereby strengthening Germany's position as a leading market for trustworthy robotics in environmental technology and advancing Germany's high-tech agenda.
