Industrial Robotics From Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0: An Analysis of Architectures, Human‐Centricity and Sustainability

ABSTRACT

The evolution of industrial robotics is increasingly shaped by the transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, where manufacturing extends beyond automation efficiency toward intelligent, human‐centric, sustainable and resilient systems. This study presents a systematic literature review of 137 peer‐reviewed articles, conducted following PRISMA guidelines, to examine the changing role of industrial robotics across technological, human and value‐oriented dimensions. The findings show that industrial robots have evolved from isolated automation units into cyber‐physical, data‐driven and intelligent components embedded within smart manufacturing architectures. Key enabling technologies, including digital twins, artificial intelligence, IIoT and cloud edge computing, are identified as primary drivers of this transformation. Beyond technological advancements, the review highlights a shift toward human‐centric manufacturing, where collaborative robotics, ergonomic design, worker augmentation and explainable AI redefine human–machine interaction. The results further indicate that Industry 5.0 introduces new evaluation criteria, emphasising lifecycle sustainability, energy efficiency, circular manufacturing and system resilience. However, challenges remain, including interoperability limitations, high implementation costs, organisational resistance and governance gaps in AI‐enabled systems. This review develops an integrated framework linking architectures, applications, human factors and Industry 5.0 values and outlines key research directions for advancing responsible and sustainable industrial robotics.