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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2018

Junhui Zhang, Xiufeng Zhang and Yang Li

The purpose of this study is to provide a novel multi-fingered hand made of hyperelastic material. This kind of hand has the advantage of less mechanical parts, simpler control…

413

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide a novel multi-fingered hand made of hyperelastic material. This kind of hand has the advantage of less mechanical parts, simpler control system. It can greatly cut down the complexity and cost of the hands under conditions of ensuring enough flexibility of grasping.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the principle of virtual work, the equations of pulling force and grasping force are derived. To get the max grasping force, the optimal structural dimensions of the hand are obtained by finite element simulations. Hand’s grasping experiment is conducted.

Findings

The factors influencing grasping force and grasping stability are identified, and they are the length between short poles around the knuckles and the height of short poles. Experimental results show that the max strain of knuckles is less than the elastic limit of hyperelastic material, and the presented hand is practicable. The adaptive ability and grasping stability of the presented hand are demonstrated.

Originality/value

A novel multi-fingered hand made of hyperelastic material is presented in this paper. By designing the thickness of every section of a hyperelastic plate, the knuckle sections will bend and other sections of the plate will remain straight, and thus, the multi-fingered hand will grasp.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 38 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

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Article
Publication date: 16 October 2018

Xiufeng Zhang, Jitao Dai, Xia Li, Huizi Li, Huiqun Fu, Guoxin Pan, Ning Zhang, Rong Yang and Jianguang Xu

This paper aims to develop a signal acquisition system of surface electromyography (sEMG) and use the characteristics of (sEMG) signal to interference action pattern.

359

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a signal acquisition system of surface electromyography (sEMG) and use the characteristics of (sEMG) signal to interference action pattern.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a fusion method based on combining the coefficient of AR model and wavelet coefficient. It improves the recognition rate of the target action. To overcome the slow convergence speed and local optimum in standard BP network, the study presents a BP algorithm which combine with LM algorithm and PSO algorithm, and it improves the convergence speed and the recognition rate of the target action.

Findings

Experiments verify the effectiveness of the system from two aspects the target motion recognition rate and the corresponding reaction speed of the robotic system.

Originality/value

The study developed a signal acquisition system of sEMG and used the characteristics of (sEMG) signal to interference action pattern. The myoelectricity integral values are presented to determine the starting point and end point of target movement, which is more effective than using single sample point amplitude method.

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Article
Publication date: 5 September 2016

Xiufeng Zhang, Huiqun Fu, Xitai Wang, Guanglin Li, Rong Yang and Ying Liu

This paper aims to find a new method that could be applied to the high and mid-grade prosthesis knee joint.

537

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to find a new method that could be applied to the high and mid-grade prosthesis knee joint.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on analysis, calculation, modeling, simulation and experimental study of the motion law of knee joint, this paper not only determines the structure and parameters of the knee joint and calculates the instantaneous center but also analyzes the stance stability and completes the optimization. With the help of experimental tests (fatigue test and gait curve test), the quality and performance of the designed knee joint is verified.

Findings

The experimental results show that the gait curve of the designed knee joint is much closer to health people. The designed prosthesis knee joint, with adjustable swing speed and gait curve which are close to health limb, has a better performance when compared to the ordinary knee joint with four-bar linkage structure.

Originality/value

This paper developed a prosthesis knee joint based on a novel design method that could be applied to the “high and mid” grade prosthesis knee joint and verified its function on an amputee performed the lower amputation, which could provide theoretical support for researches and designs related to prosthesis knee joint in future.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 5 March 2024

Xiufeng Li and Zhen Zhang

This study aims to analyze and discuss the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firms’ performance, as well as to examine the interplay between CSR and the economy…

235

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze and discuss the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firms’ performance, as well as to examine the interplay between CSR and the economy, society and innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper collects data from 420 manufacturing firms across various geographical regions in China. By using a structural equation model, the paper investigates the impact of CSR on enterprise innovation, customer management capability, market competitiveness (MC) and firm financial performance.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that CSR performance positively contributes to enhancing the level of enterprise innovation, as well as customer management capability and market competitiveness. Furthermore, it assists enterprises in improving market competitiveness and elevating customer management capabilities. Thus, CSR can have a positive effect on the firm financial performance.

Originality/value

The outcomes presented in this paper offer valuable evidence regarding the influence of implementing CSR on different aspects of enterprise performance and innovation. Moreover, it provides practical recommendations for enterprises seeking to transition towards low-carbon practices and upgrade their manufacturing industry.

Details

Nankai Business Review International, vol. 15 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8749

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 16 July 2024

Xiufeng Li, Shaojun Ma and Zhen Zhang

The Internet of Things (IoT) platform empowers the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry by providing information technology services. Simultaneously, it enters the…

270

Abstract

Purpose

The Internet of Things (IoT) platform empowers the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry by providing information technology services. Simultaneously, it enters the market by offering smart products to consumers. In light of different service fee scenarios, this article explores the optimal decision-making for the platform. It investigates the pricing models and entry decisions of IoT platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, we have formulated a game-theoretic model to scrutinize the influence of the IoT platform ventured into the smart device market on the pre-existing suppliers operating under subscription-based and usage-based pricing agreements.

Findings

Our outcome shows that introducing an IoT platform’s smart device has a differential effect on manufacturers depending on their contract type. Notably, our research indicates that introducing the platform’s own smart device within the subscription-based model does not negatively impact the profitability of incumbent manufacturers, so long as there is a noticeable discrepancy in the quality of the smart devices. However, our findings within the usage-based model demonstrate that despite the variance in smart device quality differentiation, the platform’s resolution to launch their device and impose their pricing agreements adversely affects established manufacturers. Additionally, we obtain valuable Intel regarding the platform’s entry strategies and contractual inclinations. We demonstrate that the platform is incentivized to present its smart device when reasonable entry costs remain. Furthermore, the platform prefers subscription-based contracts when the subscription fee is relatively high in non-platform entry and entry cases.

Originality/value

These findings hold significant practical implications for firms operating in an IoT-based supply chain.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 124 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

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Article
Publication date: 24 April 2020

Xiufeng Cheng, Ziming Zhang, Yue Yang and Zhonghua Yan

Social coding platforms (SCPs) have been adopted by scores of developers in building, testing and managing their codes collaboratively. Accordingly, this type of platform (site…

488

Abstract

Purpose

Social coding platforms (SCPs) have been adopted by scores of developers in building, testing and managing their codes collaboratively. Accordingly, this type of platform (site) enables collaboration between enterprises and universities (c-EU) at a lower cost in the form of online team-building projects (repositories). This paper investigates the open collaboration patterns between these two parties on GitHub by measuring their online behaviours. The purpose of this investigation is to identify the most attractive collaboration features that enterprises can offer to increase university students' participation intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The research process is divided into four steps. First, the authors crawled for numerical data for each interactive repository feature created by employees of Alibaba on GitHub and identified the student accounts associated with these repositories. Second, a categorisation schema of feature classification was proposed on a behavioural basis. Third, the authors clustered the aforementioned repositories based on feature data and recognised four types of repositories (popular, formal, normal and obsolete) to represent four open collaboration patterns. The effects of the four repository types on university students' collaboration behaviour were measured using a multiple linear regression model. An ANOVA test was implemented to examine the robustness of research results. Finally, the authors proposed some practical suggestions to enhance collaboration between both sides of SCPs.

Findings

Several counterintuitive but reasonable findings were revealed, for example, those based on the “star” repository feature. The actual coding contribution of the repositories had a negative correlation with student attention. This result indicates that students were inclined to imitate rather than innovate.

Originality/value

This research explores the open collaboration patterns between enterprises and universities on GitHub and their impact on student coding behaviour. According to the research analysis, both parties benefit from open collaboration on SCPs, and the allocation or customisation of online repository features may affect students' participation in coding. This research brings a new perspective to the measurement of users' collaboration behaviour with output rates on SCPs.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

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Article
Publication date: 14 October 2021

Yuanyuan Chen, Xiufeng He, Jia Xu, Lin Guo, Yanyan Lu and Rongchun Zhang

As one of the world's most productive ecosystems, ecological land plays an important role in regional and global environments. Utilizing advanced optical and synthetic aperture…

174

Abstract

Purpose

As one of the world's most productive ecosystems, ecological land plays an important role in regional and global environments. Utilizing advanced optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for land cover/land use research becomes increasingly popular. This research aims to investigate the complementarity of fully polarimetric SAR and optical imaging for ecological land classification in the eastern coastal area of China.

Design/methodology/approach

Four polarimetric decomposition methods, namely, H/Alpha, Yamaguchi3, VanZyl3 and Krogager, were applied to Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) SAR image for scattering parameter extraction. These parameters were merged with ALOS optical parameters for subsequent classification using the object-based quick, unbiased, efficient statistical tree decision tree method.

Findings

The experimental results indicate that an improved classification performance was obtained in the decision level when merging the two data sources. In fact, unlike classification using only optical images, the proposed approach allowed to distinguish ecological land with similar spectrum but different scattering. Moreover, unlike classification using only polarimetric information, the integration of polarimetric and optical data allows to accurately distinguish reed from artemisia and sand from salt field and therefore achieve a detailed classification of the coastal area characteristics.

Originality/value

This research proposed an integrated classification method for coastal ecological land with polarimetric SAR and optical data. The object-based and decision-level fusion enables effective ecological land classification in coastal area was verified.

Details

Data Technologies and Applications, vol. 56 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9288

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 15 May 2017

Jian Li, Diansheng Chen, Chunjing Tao and Hui Li

Many studies have shown that rehabilitation robots are crucial for lower limb dysfunction, but application of many robotics have yet to be seen to actual use in China. This study…

447

Abstract

Purpose

Many studies have shown that rehabilitation robots are crucial for lower limb dysfunction, but application of many robotics have yet to be seen to actual use in China. This study aimed to improve a lower limb rehabilitation robot by details improving and practical design.

Design/methodology/approach

Structures and control system of a lower limb rehabilitation robot are improved in detail, including joint calculations, comfort analysis and feedback logic creation, and prototype experiments on healthy individuals and patients are conducted in a hospital.

Findings

All participating subjects did not experience any problems. The experiment shows detail improving is reasonable, and feasibility of the robot was confirmed, which has potential for overcoming difficulties and problems in practical application.

Research limitations/implications

Therapeutic effects need to be evaluated in the future. Also, more details should be improved continuously based on the actual demand.

Originality/value

The improved robot could assist the lower limb during standing or walking, which has significance for practical application and patients in China.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 44 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 3 October 2020

Xiufeng Li and Congcong Lin

We draw on the conservation of resources theory to explore when and how a high-commitment work system (HCWS) improves employees' work well-being.

1707

Abstract

Purpose

We draw on the conservation of resources theory to explore when and how a high-commitment work system (HCWS) improves employees' work well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 64 branches in a high-tech company, involving 64 supervisors and 434 employees to examine the influence of branch-level HCWS on employees' work well-being at individual level.

Findings

Consistent with our predictions, the results indicate that a well-designed human resource management (HRM) system (i.e. HCWS) helps to enhance employees' work well-being. Psychological empowerment is seen as an important mechanism linking HCWS with work well-being. The effects of HCWS on psychological empowerment and work well-being are significantly positive only when leader trust in employees is high.

Originality/value

This study indicates a novel resource theoretical perspective regarding the HRM system-employee well-being relationship. It provides insights into how contextual resources (HCWS) enhance employees' work well-being by potentiating the effect of personal resources (psychological empowerment). Just as the old saying goes, “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” the leader trust serves as a critical valve.

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Article
Publication date: 27 September 2018

Xiufeng Cheng, Jinqing Yang and Lixin Xia

This paper aims to propose an extensible, service-oriented framework for context-aware data acquisition, description, interpretation and reasoning, which facilitates the…

357

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose an extensible, service-oriented framework for context-aware data acquisition, description, interpretation and reasoning, which facilitates the development of mobile applications that provide a context-awareness service.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors propose the context data reasoning framework (CDRFM) for generating service-oriented contextual information. Then they used this framework to composite mobile sensor data into low-level contextual information. Finally, the authors exploited some high-level contextual information that can be inferred from the formatted low-level contextual information using particular inference rules.

Findings

The authors take “user behavior patterns” as an exemplary context information generation schema in their experimental study. The results reveal that the optimization of service can be guided by the implicit, high-level context information inside user behavior logs. They also prove the validity of the authors’ framework.

Research limitations/implications

Further research will add more variety of sensor data. Furthermore, to validate the effectiveness of our framework, more reasoning rules need to be performed. Therefore, the authors may implement more algorithms in the framework to acquire more comprehensive context information.

Practical implications

CDRFM expands the context-awareness framework of previous research and unifies the procedures of acquiring, describing, modeling, reasoning and discovering implicit context information for mobile service providers.

Social implications

Support the service-oriented context-awareness function in application design and related development in commercial mobile software industry.

Originality/value

Extant researches on context awareness rarely considered the generation contextual information for service providers. The CDRFM can be used to generate valuable contextual information by implementing more reasoning rules.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 36 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

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