A Comprehensive Review of Human-Robot Collaborative Manufacturing Systems: Technologies, Applications, and Future Trends

Amid the dual-driven trends of Industry 5.0 and smart manufacturing integration, as well as the global imperative for manufacturing sustainability to address resource constraints, carbon neutrality goals, and circular economy demands, human–robot collaborative (HRC) manufacturing has emerged as a core direction for reshaping manufacturing production modes while aligning with sustainable development principles. This paper comprehensively reviews HRC manufacturing systems, summarizing their technical framework, practical applications, and development trends with a focus on the synergistic realization of operational efficiency and sustainability. Addressing the rigidity of traditional automated lines, inefficiency of manual production, and the unsustainable drawbacks of high energy consumption and resource waste in conventional manufacturing, HRC integrates humans’ flexible decision-making and environmental adaptability with robots’ high-precision and continuous operation, not only improving production efficiency, quality, and safety but also optimizing resource allocation, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing production waste to bolster manufacturing sustainability. Its core technologies include task allocation, multimodal perception, augmented interaction (AR/VR/MR), digital twin-driven integration, adaptive motion control, and real-time decision-making, all of which can be tailored to support sustainable production scenarios such as energy-efficient process scheduling and circular material utilization. These technologies have been applied in automotive, aeronautical, astronautical, and shipping industries, boosting high-end equipment manufacturing innovation while advancing the sector’s sustainability performance. Finally, challenges and future directions of HRC are discussed, emphasizing its pivotal role in driving manufacturing toward a balanced development of efficiency, intelligence, flexibility, and sustainability.