Amanda C. Stewart

City University of New York, United States Air Force Academy

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Amanda C. Stewart explores the intricate dynamics of human-robot teamwork, focusing on how emotional bonds and cognitive biases shape supervisory control and collaboration. Her research bridges robotics, psychology, and human-computer interaction, with key contributions in cooperative assistance systems and the ethical implications of robot empathy. Her most-cited work, "Cooperative assistance for remote robot supervision" (2002, 15 citations), introduces a blackboard-based framework that facilitates communication between remote semi-autonomous robots and human supervisors, advancing real-time robot oversight. Stewart’s later studies, including "He who hesitates is lost (...in thoughts over a robot)" (2018, 14 citations) and "Band of Brothers and Bolts: Caring About Your Robot Teammate" (2018, 5 citations), critically examine the risks of anthropomorphizing robots—questioning whether strong emotional attachments to expendable machines hinder team performance or lead to misplaced empathy. These works challenge conventional assumptions about team cohesion, urging a reevaluation of how humans relate to autonomous agents. Stewart’s impact lies in her provocative insights into the psychological and operational costs of human-robot bonding, offering a nuanced perspective that informs both system design and ethical guidelines. Her research is essential for students and engineers developing collaborative robots, highlighting the delicate balance between trust and functionality in human-machine teams.