Caleb Furlough

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Caleb Furlough’s research sits at the intersection of human-robot interaction and moral psychology, probing how people assign blame when robots make mistakes. In his highly cited work “Attributing Blame to Robots: I. The Influence of Robot Autonomy” (83 citations), Furlough systematically examined how human observers distribute responsibility among humans, autonomous robots, nonautonomous machines, and environmental factors following errors in collaborative settings. This foundational study revealed that perceived robot autonomy significantly shifts blame patterns—a critical insight for designing transparent, trustworthy robotic teammates. By demonstrating that humans treat autonomous robots as distinct moral agents, Furlough’s work has shaped subsequent debates on robot accountability in healthcare, manufacturing, and autonomous vehicles. His contributions help engineers and ethicists anticipate how users will react when technology fails, making him a key voice in responsible AI development. For students and researchers entering human-robot teaming, Furlough’s research offers a rigorous, empirically grounded framework for understanding the social dynamics of blame—a topic only growing more urgent as robots gain greater decision-making capabilities.