Castro, John W.John W.CastroAriza, VictorVictorArizaRiffo, VladimirVladimirRiffo2026-07-072026-07-072026IEEE ACCESS, 14, 45377-45409 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2026.36766962169-3536https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12740/24735Teleoperation of robotic manipulators has progressed greatly in recent years, serving as a vital solution for high-risk tasks in medicine, industry, and space exploration, where direct human involvement is unfeasible or dangerous. Despite these advances, ongoing technical and operational challenges, such as latency-related instability and limited real-world validation, hinder broader adoption. This requires a systematic assessment of emerging technologies and their integrations to close the gap between laboratory prototypes and field-ready systems. To this end, we conducted a Systematic Mapping Study across Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science, screening 3,957 records and selecting 339 primary studies from 2019 to mid-2024 for in-depth analysis. The results categorize advancements into eight key groups: exoskeletons, haptic devices, immersive technologies, neural interfaces, motion and biometric sensing systems, direct input and control interfaces, advanced identification and communication systems, and combinations. The findings reveal a clear shift toward multimodal hybrids (such as haptic-immersive fusions) that improve operator precision, situational awareness, and ergonomic usability across different fields. However, communication latency remains the main obstacle, with delays over 200 ms undermining stability and safety regardless of interface complexity. These findings highlight that while hybrid integrations address isolated limitations, domain-specific tolerances-such as near-zero in medicine versus moderate in industry-require tailored optimizations for successful deployment. Future research should prioritize rigorous field trials with standardized benchmarks (e.g., NASA-TLX for workload and FMEA for safety) for combined technologies, alongside the development of 6G-enabled predictive algorithms to preempt latency issues, ensuring scalable, resilient teleoperation in critical scenarios.info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessRobotsRemote controlManipulatorsHuman-robot interactionUsabilityRobot sensing systemsExoskeletonsSystematicsSolid modelingService robotsAugmented realityextended realityremote collaborationsystematic mapping studyteleoperationvirtual realityReviewhttps://doi.org/10.1109/access.2026.3676696