Architectural Foundations for Multi-Agent Internet of Robotic Things: A Literature Review

Abstract

The Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) integrates robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), distributed computing, and intelligent systems to enable heterogeneous physical and virtual entities to perceive, communicate, collaborate, and act in dynamic environments. However, the heterogeneity and distribution of these entities introduce challenges related to interoperability, communication, context representation, and coordinated decision-making. This paper presents a literature review of the main concepts and technologies supporting multi-agent IoRT environments. The review discusses the evolution and architectural characteristics of IoRT, Edge–Fog–Cloud computing and next-generation communication networks, as well as the role of multi-agent systems in providing distributed and autonomous interactions among heterogeneous entities. Particular attention is given to context-aware computing and semantic representation as mechanisms for transforming heterogeneous sensor data into higher-level contextual information that can support reasoning and action. The study also examines architectural requirements for IoRT platforms and the role of local middleware and microservices in integrating devices, data, and distributed computational resources. The reviewed literature indicates that the combination of multi-agent systems, contextual information, semantic representation, and distributed computing provides a relevant foundation for developing flexible, scalable, interoperable, and adaptive IoRT environments.