Thomas A. Stokes

North Carolina State University, Weyerhaeuser (United States)

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Thomas A. Stokes is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction and autonomous systems, with a particular focus on how humans perceive and assign responsibility to robotic agents. His most influential work, "Attributing Blame to Robots: I. The Influence of Robot Autonomy" (2019, 83 citations), fundamentally examines the psychological and ethical dimensions of blame attribution in human-robot teams. By investigating how people distribute fault among humans, nonautonomous robots, autonomous robots, and environmental factors when errors occur, Stokes has provided critical insights into the social dynamics of collaborative robotics. This research has significant implications for designing trustworthy autonomous systems and understanding human accountability in increasingly automated workplaces. More recently, Stokes has applied his expertise to agricultural robotics, co-developing a stereo vision-based guidance system for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in bareroot forest nurseries (2025). This innovative work aims to automate labor-intensive inventory and quality assessment processes, potentially transforming the US forest nursery industry. Stokes’s contributions bridge cognitive science, robotics ethics, and practical automation, making him a key voice in the responsible deployment of autonomous technologies.