A Bibliometric Analysis of Non-Industrial Robotics and Automation Research from a Creative Applications Perspective

Resumo

Robotics research has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, encompassing industrial automation, human–robot interaction, artificial intelligence, and creative applications. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of research trends, publication growth, and citation patterns in robotics and automation, with a focused examination of creative and artistic applications within the field. Bibliographic data were retrieved from the Scopus database, yielding 31,261 initial records, which were refined to 426 relevant publications published between 2000 and 2025 within the Arts and Humanities subject area. Quantitative analyses were conducted using Microsoft Excel for temporal trend analysis, VOSviewer for collaboration and keyword network visualisation, and Publish or Perish for citation performance assessment.

The results reveal a substantial increase in robotics-related publications after 2017, with the United States, China, and the United Kingdom emerging as leading contributors. Influential journals, institutions, authors, and citation networks highlight the interdisciplinary nature of robotics research and demonstrate how creative and non-industrial studies contribute foundational methods in perception, motion control, human–robot interaction, and digital technologies that are later adopted in industrial automation. Overall, this study provides a structured overview of how robotics and automation research has evolved in terms of productivity, intellectual influence, and thematic development, while illustrating the role of creative-domain research as an innovation precursor supporting the advancement of industrial robotic applications.