**Abstract**

The construction and operation of autonomous robots is heavily based of systemic conceptualizations of the reality constituted by the robot, its controller and the environment where it performs. In this chapter we address the role that computer ontologies play in the whole life cycle—engineering and operation—of autonomous robots: from its conception and construction by human engineering teams to deployment and autonomous operation in dynamic and uncertain environments. This chapter summarizes the state of the art, gives some examples and establishes a roadmap for future activity in this domain to produce shareable ontologies that could streamline autonomous robot development and exploitation.

**Keywords:** Robotics, Engineering, Ontology, Autonomy, Adaptation
