Stephen Potter

University of Sheffield, The Open University

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Stephen Potter’s research sits at the intersection of service robotics, consumer vulnerability, and inclusive design, with a particular focus on how emerging technologies can be ethically integrated into health and social care settings. His most impactful work, “Service Robots in Long-Term Care: A Consumer-Centric View” (2022, 77 citations), challenges conventional robotics narratives by centering the perspectives of disabled individuals and older adults, arguing that their lived expertise must shape how robots are designed and deployed in emotionally sensitive servicescapes. Potter’s 2021 study on Starship delivery robots during Covid-19 (12 citations) offers a rare, real-world analysis of how urban robotics cope with crisis, revealing critical insights into human-robot collaboration under unpredictable conditions. His 2022 paper on upstream co-creation (9 citations) pioneers methods for involving disabled people not merely as end-users but as co-designers of robotics trajectories, directly addressing the field’s tendency to overlook marginalized voices. By foregrounding vulnerability, agency, and participatory design, Potter’s work is reshaping how researchers and practitioners approach robotics for care—ensuring that technological progress does not come at the cost of inclusivity.