Steven Nunnally

About

Steven Nunnally is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI) and swarm robotics, a field concerned with coordinating large numbers of simple autonomous robots to produce complex emergent behaviors. His research has made foundational contributions to understanding how human operators can effectively influence and control robot swarms — a challenge that had been largely overlooked prior to his investigations. Among his most significant contributions are the development of *selection* and *beacon control* principles for swarm guidance, and his rigorous examination of *neglect benevolence* — the counterintuitive phenomenon whereby swarms may actually perform better when human intervention is temporarily withheld. His most-cited paper on human control of robot swarms (2012, 79 citations) remains a key reference in the field, with related work on latency effects accumulating an additional 71 citations. Nunnally also advanced the practical dimension of swarm interaction by investigating bandwidth limitations, localization challenges, and the use of haptic feedback as an intuitive control modality, helping bridge the gap between theoretical swarm algorithms and real-world deployment. Across roughly ten publications, his cumulative citation impact reflects an influential, focused body of work that helped define the emerging discipline of human-swarm interaction.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Towards human control of robot swarms

   79 citations · 2012
2. 2
   Neglect benevolence in human control of swarms in the presence of latency

   71 citations · 2012
3. 3
   Human influence of robotic swarms with bandwidth and localization issues

   42 citations · 2012
4. 4
   Levels of Automation for Human Influence of Robot Swarms

   18 citations · 2013
5. 5
   Using Haptic Feedback in Human Robotic Swarms Interaction

   13 citations · 2013
6. 6
   Neglect Benevolence in Human-Swarm Interaction with Communication Latency

   11 citations · 2012
7. 7
   Using Coverage for Measuring the Effect of Haptic Feedback in Human Robotic Swarm Interaction

   11 citations · 2013
8. 8
   Connectivity Differences between Human Operators of Swarms and Bandwidth Limitations

   7 citations · 2012
9. 9
   Investigating Neglect Benevolence and Communication Latency During Human-Swarm Interaction

   4 citations · 2012
10. 10
    Using Haptic Feedback in Human-Swarm Interaction

    3 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links