Human–robot interaction in industry: a tertiary study

Over the last few years, the scientific and industrial community has started to explore the interaction between humans and robots, looking into ways to benefit from the strengths of each, valorise human capital, and improve human well-being. Many conceptual studies and literature reviews have been published focusing on different aspects of human–robot interaction (HRI), paying attention to various topics, factors, tasks, and kinds of collaborations. In addition, human-centred-related elements have recently started to be widely considered. Although the available literature in the industrial field offers many literature reviews on HRI, the discussion is still open on some issues. First, many reviews fail to use a consistent systematic approach – they provide a general understanding of the subject but lack rigour. Second, the number of articles published, already high, continues to increase as they introduce new issues and concepts. In this context, a tertiary study that synthesises the content of previous literature reviews can be beneficial to consolidate diverse knowledge. This tertiary study analyses published literature reviews on HRI in the industrial field. The aim is to present an overview of methodological approaches, relevant topics, and the development of the research field. We contribute to the HRI literature by analysing the evolution of this topic over the years and identifying research gaps and new challenges to derive useful insights and expand knowledge about HRI.