Rodger A. Pettitt

About

Rodger A. Pettitt is a human factors researcher whose career has centered on the intersection of military robotics, human-machine interaction, and operator performance. Working primarily with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Human Research and Engineering Directorate, Pettitt has made substantial contributions to understanding how Soldiers can most effectively control unmanned ground systems in real-world operational contexts. His most influential work, "Robotic Telepresence: Perception, Performance, and User Experience" (2012, 19 citations), explored how telepresence technologies shape reconnaissance mission outcomes for dismounted warfighters. Complementing this, his research on speech-based robotic control demonstrated that voice interfaces could meaningfully reduce cognitive and physical burden on operators, freeing attention for critical secondary tasks. Pettitt has also systematically investigated display scaling, tactile feedback, touchscreen controllers, and progressive autonomy — collectively forming a comprehensive research agenda around making robotic systems more intuitive and scalable for field use. His later work examining squad-level human-robot dynamics and wearable control concepts reflects a forward-looking vision of intelligent autonomous systems integrated into small unit operations. With over 80 cumulative citations, Pettitt's research offers practical, empirically grounded guidance that continues to shape the design of next-generation military robotic systems.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Robotic Telepresence: Perception, Performance, and User Experience

   19 citations · 2012
2. 2
   Intuitive Speech-based Robotic Control

   14 citations · 2010
3. 3
   Scalability of Robotic Displays: Display Size Investigation

   9 citations · 2008
4. 4
   A tactile option to reduce robot controller size

   8 citations · 2008
5. 5
   Scalability of Robotic Controllers: Effects of Progressive Levels of Autonomy on Robotic Reconnaissance Tasks

   7 citations · 2010
6. 6
   Scalability of Robotic Controllers: Speech-Based Robotic Controller Evaluation

   7 citations · 2009
7. 7
   Scalability of Robotic Controllers: An Evaluation of Controller Options-Experiment II

   7 citations · 2011
8. 8
   Squad-Level Soldier-Robot Dynamics: Exploring Future Concepts Involving Intelligent Autonomous Robots

   6 citations · 2017
9. 9
   Scaling Robotic Systems for Dismounted Warfighters

   6 citations · 2011
10. 10
    An Intuitive Wearable Concept for Robotic Control

    6 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links