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Capacitive six-axis force/torque (F/T) sensors require various configurations to fulfill diverse performance requirements; however, a systematic method to assess the feasibility of any new configuration is lacking. This study aims to propose three criteria for evaluating the rationality of these configurations, enabling a quick determination of the feasibility of the initial structure of the sensor.

This study used sensitivity isotropy as a performance metric. By examining the signal conversion process from F/T to displacement using the compliance transformation matrix, the authors identified Criterion 1: the symmetry condition. By analyzing the decoupling process of the sensor, the authors discovered Criterion 2: the capacitor arrangement condition. Through the optimization of analog sensors, this study derived Criterion 3: the range and structural parameters conditions. Ultimately, this study designed and fabricated a sensor that fulfills these criteria, thereby demonstrating the feasibility of the approach through its performance.

By analogy with capacitive six-axis F/T sensors that have demonstrated exceptional performance in recent years, the authors have found that they all meet the criteria proposed in this paper. Furthermore, the sensor designed and fabricated in this study achieves an accuracy of 0.64% FS, surpassing both the accuracy and sensitivity of the commercially available high-performance ATI industrial automation (Gamma) sensor. This underscores the feasibility of this study’s criteria.

By following the configuration guidelines presented in this paper, designers can quickly assess whether a new configuration will perform well at the early stages of the design process. This makes it easier to consider other requirements while meeting the basic performance needs, thereby significantly enhancing design efficiency.

This study aims to develop synthetic ester lubricating oil using renewable sinapic acid as raw material, to explore the structural design and selection of raw materials for green, high-performance synthetic ester oils.

A series of the sinapate ester oils were synthesized through esterification and alkoxylation reactions using renewable source sinapic acid as the raw material. The molecular structures of the oils were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The oils were evaluated for safety, viscosity-temperature properties, thermal and oxidative stability, as well as friction reducing and anti-wear characteristics.

Compared to commercial base oil tris (2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (Phe-3Ci8), the bio-lubricant exhibits superior antifriction and anti-wear properties. Notably, the JCi8-C12 sample performed exceptionally well, reducing the friction coefficient by 11.42% and wear volume (WV) by 54.44% in steel/steel tribo-pairs. In steel/aluminum tribo-pairs, the friction coefficient decreased by 27.48%, while WV was reduced by 85.81%. Mechanistic studies reveal that the introduction of short-chain methoxy groups and stable conjugated systems (aromatic rings and double bonds) inhibit oxidation and decomposition at elevated temperatures. The p-p stacking effect enables lubricant molecules to arrange stably on friction surfaces, forming a durable lubricating film.

The utilization of biomass resources to develop green synthetic lubricating oil with excellent performance not only enhances the added value of waste from agricultural processing but also offers significant benefits in terms of both economic and environmental sustainability.

This study discovers the perceptions and preferences of Chinese fans of the European major football leagues. China has a large potential sports consumption market, and football has the largest number of fans among all the sports in China. Knowing the needs of foreign fans would help the leagues to decide the most efficient and competitive strategies.

The research involves quantitative methods and analysis to show the Chinese fans’ attraction to different football leagues in Europe. The principal component analysis (PCA) is used to extract important factors of the survey data, and the multiple regression, ordinary least square (OLS) method is used to understand the contribution of different factors to the fan size. The outcomes of different performances of the leagues are compared to further evaluate the different strategies.

The results of the analysis show that Chinese fans tend to support clubs that offer more competitive matches. The market value of the club’s players is used as a mediating proxy indicator to evaluate the club’s competitiveness. Leagues with higher uncertainty around championship wins attract more followers. The findings suggest that league balance, champion–winner uncertainty and club competitiveness attract a larger fan base and raise league market value, both important factors in creating financially sustainable football leagues with robust product lifecycles. Fans prefer balanced leagues to monopolistic clubs.

Unlike most past football research involving quantitative analysis, this research uses quantitative analysis to discover the relationships between the sports factors and the fans' size. The empirical evidence could deliver more objective and robust results. The research further discusses and extends the importance of a balanced football league from the sports and league management aspects to the economics level.

The underground logistics system (ULS) is noted to be an innovative delivery alternative that confers benefits such as improved logistics efficiency, reduced traffic congestion and better environmental protection for society. Consumer acceptance is crucial for the widespread application of ULS. Hence, this study aims to explore the drivers affecting consumers’ willingness to adopt an ULS anchored on the uses and gratification theory.

An online survey was implemented among 551 Singapore citizens and structural equation modeling was adopted to examine the theoretical model.

The findings suggest that most gratification variables (i.e. hedonic gratification, environmental protection gratification (EPG) and social gratification), mediated by perceived well-being and conscious attention, have significant effects on consumer adoption of the ULS. Moreover, as shown in the results of total effects, well-being perception exerts the largest impact on consumers’ adoption of ULS, followed by conscious attention, EPG, social gratification, hedonic gratification and convenience gratification.

This study contributes to enriching current theoretical research on consumers’ willingness to accept ULS, and providing several practical implications for logistic service providers and the government to promote consumers’ adoption of ULS.

This study aims to improve the stability and obstacle surmounting ability of the traditional wall-climbing robot on the surface of the ship, a wheel-track composite magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robot is proposed in this paper.

The robot adopts a front and rear obstacle-crossing mechanism to achieve a smooth crossover. The robot is composed of two passive obstacle-crossing mechanisms and a frame, which is composed of two obstacle-crossing magnetic wheels and a set of tracks. The obstacle-crossing is realized by the telescopic expansion of the obstacle-crossing mechanism. Three static failure models are established to determine the minimum adsorption force for the robot to achieve stable motion. The Halbach array is used to construct the track magnetic circuit, and the influence of gap, contact area and magnet thickness on the adsorption force is analyzed by parameter simulation.

The prototype was designed and manufactured by the authors for static failure and obstacle crossing tests. The prototype test results show that the robot can cross the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load.

A new structure of wall-climbing robot is proposed and verified. According to the test results, the wall-climbing robot can stably climb over the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load, which provides a new idea for future robot design.

The cable inspection robot is essential in maintaining bridge cables. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the maintenance methods of bridge cables. It summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the critical structures of the external overall frame, intermediate adhesion device, attachment mechanism and driving method of the cable inspection robot. Finally, it discusses the challenges the cable inspection robot faces and the direction of future research.

This paper summarizes the research progress of the cable inspection robot and details the advantages and disadvantages of critical structures such as the external frame, intermediate adhesion device, attachment mechanism, driving method and safe return device of the robot. Finally, it points out the future direction of cable inspection robots, including lightweight design, hybrid design, multi-robot cooperative work, multi-technology integration and intelligent cable inspection digital twin model.

The cables are the main load-bearing components of a bridge, and their safety is crucial. However, subjected to varying loads and environmental influences over a long period, cables are prone to damage, threatening the bridge’s stability. Cable inspection robots can comprehensively detect and repair cable damage, significantly improving efficiency and safety.

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current research on cable inspection robots, enabling readers to have a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the critical structures and key technologies of cable inspection robots and providing scientific references for researchers working on cable inspection robots.

This study addresses a gap in understanding consumer retention in omnichannel retailing. It explores the impact of omnichannel capabilities on consumer retention by examining the roles of consumer empowerment, cross-channel integration, retailer uncertainty and consumer satisfaction.

Utilising the stimulus-organism-response theory, data from 338 Indian omnichannel consumers were analysed using SmartPLS V3 and Process Macro for SPSS. A structured questionnaire guided the investigation into the interconnected dynamics of omnichannel capabilities, consumer empowerment, cross-channel integration, retailer uncertainty and consumer satisfaction.

Findings suggest that omnichannel capabilities significantly and positively influence consumer retention, with a significant mediation impact on consumer empowerment and cross-channel integration. The results indicate that retailer uncertainty negatively moderates, whereas consumer satisfaction positively moderates the association between omnichannel capabilities and consumer retention. Moreover, the study unravels the mechanisms driving consumer retention in the omnichannel landscape.

This research pioneers unravelling the complexities of consumer retention in omnichannel retailing. It explores how consumer retention is enhanced through omnichannel capabilities. This study bridges a gap in existing research by examining the impact of omnichannel capabilities, consumer empowerment and cross-channel integration in omnichannel retailing. Therefore, this study provides innovative, unique and strategic adaptations in the retail industry.

Reusable takeaway food containers (RTFCs) are a newly emerging green packaging choice for the takeaway industry that can effectively reduce campus solid waste but are not yet well accepted. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key factors influencing university students’ intention to choose RTFCs, seeking to enhance RTFC project management practices and contribute to developing a sustainable “green university.”

In total, 316 valid respondents from a Chinese university were surveyed for data collection. A multivariate ordered logistic regression model was used to conduct empirical analysis.

The results of this study underscore the crucial role of perceived value in the relationship between perceived green attributes and students’ intention to choose RTFCs. The positive impacts of perceived green attributes on intention are direct and indirect, through the lens of perceived value. When the value is substantial, it significantly boosts the student’s intention to choose RTFCs. Conversely, the perception of lower hygienic quality or higher returning time cost dampens this intention, with a more pronounced effect than perceived green attributes. Notably, perceived publicity activities have the most significant impact on student’s intention to choose RTFCs.

This study contributes to the understanding of promoting RTFCs, a key strategy for reducing plastic waste on campuses. The findings provide actionable recommendations for the project company and the university, offering practical ways to encourage students to use RTFCs and contribute to plastic waste reduction.

The increasing popularity of live-streaming commerce has provided a new opportunity for e-retailers to boost sales. This study integrated signaling theory and social exchange theory to investigate how streamer- and product-centered signals influence customers’ likelihood of making an impulsive purchase in the live-streaming commerce context.

An online survey was designed and distributed to the target respondents in China using purposive sampling. A total of 735 valid responses were analyzed with partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Both streamer-centered signals, i.e. streamer credibility and streamer interaction quality, were discovered to significantly influence product-centered signal, i.e. product information quality. Additionally, streamer interaction quality was found to have a significant impact on streamer credibility. Furthermore, it was observed that customer engagement played a significant mediating role in the relationship between product information quality and impulsive buying tendency. Moreover, the paths between product information quality and customer engagement, as well as the connection between engagement and impulsive buying tendency, were found to be moderated by guanxi orientation.

Despite the prevalence of impulsive purchases in live-streaming commerce, few studies have empirically investigated the impact of streamer and product signals on influencing customers’ impulsive purchase decisions. Consequently, to the best of our knowledge, this study distinguishes itself by offering empirical insights into how streamers use reciprocating relationship mechanisms to communicate signals that facilitate impulsive purchase decisions.

This paper aims to investigate the crucial roles of textured surfaces on oil-impregnated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) created by a facile tattoo strategy in improving tribological properties.

Pored PTFE (PPTFE) was prepared by mixing powder PTFE and citric acid and experienced a cold-press sintering molding process. Subsequently, textured surfaces were obtained with using a tattoo strategy. Surface-textured PPTFE was thus impregnated with polyethylene glycol 200, yielding oil-impregnated and pore-connected PPTFE.

This study found that oil-impregnated and surface-textured PPTFE exhibited excellent tribological performances with an 82% reduction in coefficient of friction and a 72.5% lowering in wear rate comparing to PPTFE.

This study shows an efficient strategy to improve the tribological property of PTFE using a tattoo-inspired surface texturing method.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2024-0378/