Interoperability in Industrial Robotics: A Literature Review and Conceptual Path Toward a Universal Robot Protocol

This work presents a literature review on interoperability in industrial robotics. The analysis of 45 selected studies reveals that existing approaches remain fragmented across communication, control abstraction, and semantic integration layers. The review synthesizes key developments in programming paradigms, communication technologies, and interoperability solutions in heterogeneous industrial environments. Based on the identified gaps, a conceptual interoperability framework, referred to as the Universal Robot Protocol (URP), is derived to support unified integration across system layers. URP is not proposed as an implemented protocol, but as a research-driven conceptual direction intended to integrate existing technologies within a coherent interoperability architecture. This contribution aims to support future research and the industrial adoption of interoperable robotic systems in Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 environments.