The purpose of this paper is to examine and illustrate the development of a methodology for generating swarms using lossless flocking.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine and illustrate the development of a methodology for generating swarms using lossless flocking.
Design/methodology/approach
A general methodology for swarm design is described. Examples of this approach in the literature are examined. A general requirement for lossless flocking is developed. The requirement is used in developing two swarm behaviors.
Findings
It is possible to apply the approach to the lossless flocking and to use the swarm condition to develop two swarm behaviors which satisfy this condition in many situations.
Research limitations/implications
This paper illustrates the general swarm engineering method and demonstrates how it can be properly applied.
Originality/value
The swarm engineering method is used to develop the “quark” model, a new physicomimetic model.
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Keywords
Dimitri V. Zarzhitsky, Diana F. Spears and David R. Thayer
The purpose of this paper is to describe a multi‐robot solution to the problem of chemical source localization, in which a team of inexpensive, simple vehicles with short‐range…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a multi‐robot solution to the problem of chemical source localization, in which a team of inexpensive, simple vehicles with short‐range, low‐power sensing, communication, and processing capabilities trace a chemical plume to its source emitter
Design/methodology/approach
The source localization problem is analyzed using computational fluid dynamics simulations of airborne chemical plumes. The analysis is divided into two parts consisting of two large experiments each: the first part focuses on the issues of collaborative control, and the second part demonstrates how task performance is affected by the number of collaborating robots. Each experiment tests a key aspect of the problem, e.g. effects of obstacles, and defines performance metrics that help capture important characteristics of each solution.
Findings
The new empirical simulations confirmed previous theoretical predictions: a physics‐based approach is more effective than the biologically inspired methods in meeting the objectives of the plume‐tracing mission. This gain in performance is consistent across a variety of plume and environmental conditions. This work shows that high success rate can be achieved by robots using strictly local information and a fully decentralized, fault‐tolerant, and reactive control algorithm.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to compare a physics‐based approach against the leading alternatives for chemical plume tracing under a wide variety of fluid conditions and performance metrics. This is also the first presentation of the algorithms showing the specific mechanisms employed to achieve superior performance, including the underlying fluid and other physics principles and their numerical implementation, and the mechanisms that allow the practitioner to duplicate the outstanding performance of this approach under conditions of many robots navigating through obstacle‐dense environments.
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Jacques Penders and Lyuba Alboul
This paper aims to discuss traffic patterns generated by swarms of robots while commuting to and from a base station.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss traffic patterns generated by swarms of robots while commuting to and from a base station.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a mathematical evaluation and robot swarm simulation. The swarm approach is bottom‐up: designing individual agents the authors are looking for emerging group behaviour patterns. Examples of group behaviour patterns are human‐driven motorized traffic which is rigidly structured in two lanes, while army ants develop a three‐lane pattern in their traffic. The authors copy army ant characteristics onto their robots and investigate whether the three lane traffic pattern may emerge. They follow a three‐step approach. The authors first investigate the mathematics and geometry of cases occurring when applying the artificial potential field method to three “perfect” robots. Any traffic pattern (two, three or more lanes) appears to be possible. Next, they use the mathematical cases to study the impact of limited visibility by defining models of sensor designs. In the final step the authors implement ant inspired sensor models and a trail following mechanism on the robots in the swarm and explore which traffic patterns do emerge in open space as well as in bounded roads.
Findings
The study finds that traffic lanes emerge in the swarm traffic; however the number of lanes is dependent on the initial situation and environmental conditions. Intrinsically the applied robot models do not determine a specific number of traffic lanes.
Originality/value
The paper presents a method for studying and simulating robot swarms.
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Judith Partouche-Sebban, Saeedeh Rezaee Vessal and Fabian Bernhard
This study aims to explore the effect of value co-creation among health-care professionals and in a business-to-business (B2B) context on the involved individuals and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the effect of value co-creation among health-care professionals and in a business-to-business (B2B) context on the involved individuals and the organization. More precisely, the effect of co-creation behaviors on the well-being of individuals, their work performance and team resilience are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research design was adopted. The data collection was performed through a mail survey of a sample of 96 professionals at a cancer health-care institution in France in which several medical and paramedical providers work together to maximize service options. Linear regressions were conducted using SPSS to analyze the data.
Findings
The results highlight the positive outcomes of an active co-creation process on individual well-being, work performance and team resilience and emphasize its limits.
Originality/value
The originality of this study lies in studying co-creation in the context of the health-care service sector, among health-care professionals and from a B2B perspective. Adopting an inter-organizational frame, this study clarifies the positive and negative effects of co-creation from both personal and organizational aspects.
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Keywords
Over those two months, he had to untangle a complex political puzzle to construct a team that would not only be acceptable to the 24 different parties within President Felix…
Details
DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB261049
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Geographic
Topical
Diana F. Spears, David R. Thayer and Dimitri V. Zarzhitsky
In light of the current international concerns with security and terrorism, interest is increasing on the topic of using robot swarms to locate the source of chemical hazards. The…
Abstract
Purpose
In light of the current international concerns with security and terrorism, interest is increasing on the topic of using robot swarms to locate the source of chemical hazards. The purpose of this paper is to place this task, called chemical plume tracing (CPT), in the context of fluid dynamics.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides a foundation for CPT based on the physics of fluid dynamics. The theoretical approach is founded upon source localization using the divergence theorem of vector calculus, and the fundamental underlying notion of the divergence of the chemical mass flux. A CPT algorithm called fluxotaxis is presented that follows the gradient of this mass flux to locate a chemical source emitter.
Findings
Theoretical results are presented confirming that fluxotaxis will guide a robot swarm toward chemical sources, and away from misleading chemical sinks. Complementary empirical results demonstrate that in simulation, a swarm of fluxotaxis‐guided mobile robots rapidly converges on a source emitter despite obstacles, realistic vehicle constraints, and flow regimes ranging from laminar to turbulent. Fluxotaxis outperforms the two leading competitors, and the theoretical results are confirmed experimentally. Furthermore, initial experiments on real robots show promise for CPT in relatively uncontrolled indoor environments.
Practical implications
A physics‐based approach is shown to be a viable alternative to existing mainly biomimetic approaches to CPT. It has the advantage of being analyzable using standard physics analysis methods.
Originality/value
The fluxotaxis algorithm for CPT is shown to be “correct” in the sense that it is guaranteed to point toward a true source emitter and not be fooled by fluid sinks. It is experimentally (in simulation), and in one case also theoretically, shown to be superior to its leading competitors at finding a source emitter in a wide variety of challenging realistic environments.
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Sergio Takahashi and Vania Passarini Takahashi
The purpose of this paper is to study the organizational processes in co-creation with multiple stakeholders within the scope of innovation networks. It consists of analyzing the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the organizational processes in co-creation with multiple stakeholders within the scope of innovation networks. It consists of analyzing the necessary adaptation of organizational processes and to structure a proposal of an integrated process.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a review article, an analysis of relevant articles in the areas of co-creation with multiple stakeholders, innovation networks, dynamic capabilities and organizational aspects linked to network organization which reflect on the main differences by relating them to the relevant literature.
Findings
Identification of related processes: Innovation development, knowledge integration/sharing, Co-evolution, Value Co-creation, Value Capture, Stakeholders capabilities, and elements of an integrated process in an innovation network.
Originality/value
Proposition of an integrated co-creation process with multiple stakeholders in an innovation network based on dynamic capabilities with the elements of literature and an analysis of the model variables. This process makes it possible, before reconfiguring the network itself, to create and to define the Project in an integrated manner. They also promote an evolution in the commitment, in the relationship and in the sharing of knowledge among the stakeholders and in the anticipation and evaluation by the stakeholders.
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Bram Roosens, Nathalie Dens and Annouk Lievens
This paper aims to assess the effects of explicit partner brand mentions (as opposed to a mere partnership mention) in communications by brand allies on consumers’ purchase…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the effects of explicit partner brand mentions (as opposed to a mere partnership mention) in communications by brand allies on consumers’ purchase intention and willingness to pay for an innovation, as mediated by the perceived relational embeddedness of the allies and their respective perceived corporate credibility. In Study 1, the authors investigate the effects of (reciprocal) explicit brand mentions by both allies (as opposed to by a single ally) and further test whether explicit brand mentions moderate spillover effects from the ally. In Study 2, the authors investigate the effect of reciprocity of explicit brand mentions and whether this is moderated by a company’s experience.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conduct two online experiments. Study 1 (N = 216) is a four-level between-subjects experiment (single communication by Partner A with explicit brand mention, single communication by Partner B with explicit brand mention, explicit brand mentions by both allies and mere partnership mention by both allies) where participants judge a social alliance related to a new tablet. Study 2 (N = 376) builds upon these findings in a 4 (explicit brand mentions by both allies; mere partnership mention by both allies; explicit brand mention by Partner A, mere partnership mention by Partner B; explicit brand mention by partner B, mere partnership mention by Partner A) × 2 (Partner A experience: established vs startup) between-subjects experimental design for a co-created battery.
Findings
Spillover effects from one ally to the other are stronger with explicit brand mentions than with a mere partnership mention. There is no added value of two allies communicating over one, provided that both partners explicitly mention their partner brand. However, when allies do communicate separately, it is crucial that an explicit brand mention is reciprocated. This effect is explained by an increase in the perceived relational embeddedness of the partners, which in turn positively influences their corporate credibility. This effect does not differ depending on a company’s experience.
Originality/value
This research is one of the first to study effects of how a brand alliance is communicated and extends previous studies on the effects of communication about brand and co-creation alliances by demonstrating that communications moderate spillover effects, that brand mention reciprocity is crucial, and by introducing the concept of perceived relational embeddedness.
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Peter Dahlin, Mikko Moilanen, Stein Eirik Østbye and Ossi Pesämaa
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of absorptive capacity (ACAP) and co-creation on innovation performance (INN).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of absorptive capacity (ACAP) and co-creation on innovation performance (INN).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use survey data from Swedish and Norwegian companies (n=1,102) and establish a cross-national equivalence between Sweden and Norway.
Findings
The subsequent structural model revealed interesting differences. For Sweden, co-creation fully mediates the effect of ACAP on INN, whereas for Norway, ACAP has a direct effect on INN with no mediation. Subsequent regressions including control variables showed that the structural model is reasonably robust. The authors conclude that, despite the many common national features conducive to innovation between these two countries, sufficient differences remain to create substantial variation in the innovation processes.
Originality/value
The study presents a second-order model of ACAP that permits a unique test of cross-country differences.