Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Nicolas Small is a researcher in robotics and human-robot interaction, with a focus on adjustable autonomy and teleoperation control systems. His work addresses the critical challenge of optimizing the balance between human control and robotic automation, particularly in hazardous environments where operator cognitive load is high. Small’s most cited paper, “An assigned responsibility system for robotic teleoperation control” (2018, 7 citations), proposes a novel architecture for robot control mode switching, filling a gap in existing adjustable autonomy strategies by enabling pre-planned control changes in predictable environments. His earlier work, “Opportunities for Enhanced Robot Control along the Adjustable Autonomy Scale” (2012, 4 citations), explores improvements in control quality, user feedback, and machine learning across the autonomy spectrum. Small also developed a goal accomplishment tracking system for automatic supervision of plan execution (2013, 3 citations), which simplifies complex plans into manageable sub-goals for individual agents. His research on assigned responsibility architectures (2015–2016) provides a framework for mixed-control teleoperation, reducing operator burden while maintaining human oversight. With a total of 18 citations across his key publications, Small’s contributions offer practical solutions for enhancing robotic teleoperation in real-world applications, from disaster response to industrial automation.