Sarah Fletcher

About

Sarah Fletcher is a leading researcher in the field of industrial human-robot collaboration (HRC), with a body of work that has fundamentally shaped how industry and academia approach the safe and effective integration of robots into human workspaces. Her research spans human factors, trust, safety, and ethics in collaborative robotics, making her a pivotal figure in preparing manufacturing environments for an increasingly automated future. Fletcher's most influential contribution is her development of a validated scale to evaluate trust in industrial HRC, published in 2015 and accumulated over 220 citations, establishing a foundational measurement tool for the field. Complementing this, her exploratory study identifying key organisational human factors for HRC implementation has garnered 116 citations, offering practitioners actionable frameworks for real-world deployment. Her Human Factors Readiness Level tool and accompanying roadmap further demonstrate her commitment to bridging research and industry practice. Beyond safety and readiness, Fletcher has tackled nuanced questions about robot speed, proximity, gesture comprehension, and ethical implications in future manufacturing systems. Collectively, her work has amassed over 500 citations, reflecting her sustained influence across a decade of transformative robotics research. Her scholarship remains essential reading for anyone navigating the human side of automation.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   The Development of a Scale to Evaluate Trust in Industrial Human-robot Collaboration

   220 citations · 2015
2. 2
   Identifying the key organisational human factors for introducing human-robot collaboration in industry: an exploratory study

   116 citations · 2015
3. 3
   The development of a Human Factors Readiness Level tool for implementing industrial human-robot collaboration

   49 citations · 2017
4. 4
   Do Speed and Proximity Affect Human-Robot Collaboration with an Industrial Robot Arm?

   42 citations · 2022
5. 5
   Industrial Robot Ethics: The Challenges of Closer Human Collaboration in Future Manufacturing Systems

   37 citations · 2017
6. 6
   Development of a Human Factors Roadmap for the Successful Implementation of Industrial Human-Robot Collaboration

   22 citations · 2016
7. 7
   Trust in Industrial Human–Robot Collaboration

   14 citations · 2021
8. 8
   Dual Arm Co-Manipulation Architecture with Enhanced Human–Robot Communication for Large Part Manipulation

   13 citations · 2020
9. 9
   Putting People and Robots Together in Manufacturing: Are We Ready?

   10 citations · 2019
10. 10
    Users’ understanding of industrial robot gesture motions and effects on trust

    9 citations · 2014

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links