Gretchen A. Petery

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Gretchen A. Petery is a leading voice in the evolving relationship between humans and machines in the workplace, with a primary focus on industrial robotics and the future of work. Her research critically examines the paradigm shift from isolated, caged robots to collaborative robots—or "cobots"—that work alongside human employees in shared spaces. Petery’s most cited work, "Industrial Robotics and the Future of Work" (2025), charts this transformation from the 1970s to the present, arguing that this new era of automation fundamentally redefines job design, safety protocols, and human-robot interaction. With 3 citations in a short time, her paper is already shaping conversations in organizational psychology and engineering. Petery’s contributions are notable for bridging technical robotics with social science, offering a nuanced view of how collaborative automation can augment—rather than replace—human labor. Her work is essential reading for researchers and students interested in the human side of Industry 4.0, providing a roadmap for designing workplaces where people and robots thrive together.