Sentient Spaces: Intelligent Totem Use Case in the ECSEL FRACTAL Project

The objective of the FRACTAL project is to create a novel approach to reliable edge computing. The FRACTAL computing node will be the building block of scalable Internet of Things (from Low Computing to High Computing Edge Nodes). The node will also have the capability of learning how to improve its performance against the uncertainty of the environment. In such a context, this paper presents in detail one of the key use cases: an Internet-of-Things solution, represented by intelligent totems for advertisement and wayfinding services, within advanced ICT-based shopping malls conceived as a sentient space. The paper outlines the reference scenario and provides an overview of the architecture and the functionality of the demonstrator, as well as a roadmap for its development and evaluation

A Comparative Study of Vehicle Platoon with Limited Output Information in Directed Topologies

This paper aims to study and compare the effect of limited-output information in various directed topology to the performance of vehicle platoon. Two distributed controllers based on limited-output information will be compared to cooperative state variable feedback control which designed based on full-state information. The comparison will be conducted for four common directed topologies in the vehicle platoon application. Simulation analysis is performed in three scenarios, namely under normal operations, when the leader moves with constant acceleration and when the platoon is subjected to constant communication delay. Performances comparison will be observed from inter-vehicular distance response in each follower and the results will be displayed with respect to the follower vehicle index in the platoon configuration. Finally, the behavior of each control scheme in various topologies will be summarized

The impact of interactive screens on store atmosphere: A case study of Leroy Merlin

Nowadays, with the emergence of new technologies, customers have become more demanding about their choices, increasingly valuing experiences rather than the product itself. This new generation is always on the lookout for new trends and some even prefer to shop online, as it is easier and faster process. However, in some types of products they need to physically touch and test in order to consolidate their choices. Thus, retailers must adapt their physical stores to fit them and create a memorable retail customer experience, adapted to all targets, able to interact and emerge in a unique environment that positively impacts them sensorially and that can be converted into customer satisfaction, increasing purchases and, in the best scenario, creating a loyalty relationship with the brand. In addition, Marketers have shown that the new retail trends impact and improve customer journey and the Interactive Screens are an example of one, which may have influence on factors such as customer experience and the possibility of visiting the store again, making a good opportunity for retailers to engage with their customers. For that reason, the present case study is based on the DIY and Home Improvement market in Portugal, which is growing, and the main purpose is to study the brand Leroy Merlin and in which and how its in-store Kiosks impacts its store atmosphere.Atualmente, com o aparecimento de novas tecnologias, os consumidores estão a tornar-se cada vez mais exigentes quanto às suas escolhas, valorizando maioritariamente as experiências, em vez do produto por si só. Esta nova geração está sempre atenta às novas tendências e alguns até preferem comprar online, devido à facilidade e rapidez do processo. No entanto, em alguns tipos de produtos, este tipo de clientes, embora sejam uma geração digital, necessitam de tocar e testar os produtos fisicamente para consolidar as suas escolhas. Assim, os retalhistas devem adaptar as suas lojas físicas, de modo a criar uma experiência memorável aos seus visitantes, adaptada a todos os targets, capaz de interagir e emergi-los num ambiente único, que os impacta sensorialmente de forma positiva e que poderá ser convertido na sua satisfação, no aumento de compras e, no melhor cenário, na criação de uma relação de lealdade com marca. Adicionalmente, os Marketers têm mostrado que as novas tendências do retalho impactam o percurso do cliente em loja e os ecrãs interativos são um exemplo de uma delas, que podem influenciar a experiência em loja do cliente e a possibilidade de voltar a visitá-la, tornando-se uma boa oportunidade para os retalhistas interagirem com seus clientes. Por esse motivo, o presente Caso de Estudo é baseado no mercado da Bricolage em Portugal, que está em crescimento, e o principal objetivo é estudar a marca Leroy Merlin e em como os seus Kiosks - um tipo de ecrã interativo - afetam a sua Atmosfera de Loja

Socio-Informatics

Contents Editorial Thematic Focus: Socio-Informatics Introduction to the Thematic Focus “Socio-Informatics” / Claudia Müller Digitalisation in Small German Metal-Working Companies. Appropriation of Technology in a “Traditional” Industrial Domain / Bernhard Nett, Jennifer Bönsch Travelling by Taxi Brousse in Madagascar: An Investigation into Practices of Overland Transportation / Volker Wulf, Kaoru Misaki, Dave Randall, and Markus Rohde Mobile and Interactive Media in the Store? Design Case Study on Bluetooth Beacon Concepts for Food Retail / Christian Reuter, Inken Leopold Facebook and the Mass Media in Tunisia / Konstantin Aal, Marén Schorch, Esma Ben Hadj Elkilani, Volker Wulf Book Review Symposium Charles Goodwin Charles Goodwin’s Co-Operative Action: The Idea and the Argument / Erhard Schüttpelz, Christian Meyer Multi-Modal Interaction and Tool-Making: Goodwin’s Intuition / Christian Meyer, Erhard Schüttpelz Co-Operation is a Feature of Sociality, not an Attribute of People : “We inhabit each other’s actions.” (Goodwin, cover) / Jutta Wiesemann, Klaus Amann The Making of the World in Co-Operative Action. From Sentence Construction to Cultural Evolution / Jürgen Streeck On Goodwin and his Co-Operative Action / Jörg R. Bergman

Combining real-life and internet marketing methods in construction field to market RentSOS

The purpose of this thesis is to provide some ideas as to whether it is possible and effective for a new IT product to create value for construction companies via relationship marketing and internet marketing within the construction industry. As well as to provide a modified marketing mix for RentSOS, combined by relationship marketing and internet marketing methods, that can be applied at the same time. The motivation of the thesis is to look inside on an area, which gets very little attention in marketing literature, which is the B2B relationships on construction industry and effective internet marketing in B2B and B2C methods taking into account the specificities of the construction rental sector. The following hypothesis have been set: H1: Construction companies in Estonia are not using all the possible real-life marketing methods. H2: Construction companies in Estonia are not using all the possible internet marketing methods. The companies studied for relation marketing are Ramirent, Cramo and Storent. They have the ambition to be a big player in whole Estonian construction rental market. The companies studied for internet marketing are Ramirent, Cramo and Storent. These companies are considered an interesting and rewarding object for a research due to author’s goal to investigate their marketing methods in order to find out the best marketing mix for new IT product-RentSOS.http://www.ester.ee/record=b4095549~S1*es

Dynamics in Logistics

This open access book highlights the interdisciplinary aspects of logistics research. Featuring empirical, methodological, and practice-oriented articles, it addresses the modelling, planning, optimization and control of processes. Chiefly focusing on supply chains, logistics networks, production systems, and systems and facilities for material flows, the respective contributions combine research on classical supply chain management, digitalized business processes, production engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and mathematical optimization. To celebrate 25 years of interdisciplinary and collaborative research conducted at the Bremen Research Cluster for Dynamics in Logistics (LogDynamics), in this book hand-picked experts currently or formerly affiliated with the Cluster provide retrospectives, present cutting-edge research, and outline future research directions

iRobot : conceptualising SERVBOT for humanoid social robots

Services are intangible in nature and, as a result, it is often difficult to measure the quality of the service. The service is usually delivered by a human to a human customer and the service literature shows SERVQUAL can be used to measure the quality of the service. However, the use of social robots during the pandemic is speeding up the process of employing social roots in frontline service settings. An extensive review of the literature shows there is a lack of an empirical model to assess the perceived service quality provided by a social robot. Furthermore, the social robot literature highlights key differences between human service and social robots. For example, scholars have highlighted the importance of entertainment and engagement in the adoption of social robots in the service industry. However, it is unclear whether the SERVQUAL dimensions are appropriate to measure social robots’ service quality. This master’s project will conceptualise the SERVBOT model to assess a social robot’s service quality. It identifies reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and entertainment as the five dimensions of SERVBOT. Further, the research will investigate how these five factors influence emotional and social engagement and intention to use the social robot in a concierge service setting. To conduct the research, a 2 x 1 (CONTROL vs SERVBOT) x (Concierge) between-subject experiment was undertaken and a total of 232 responses were collected for both stages. The results indicate that entertainment has a positive influence on emotional engagement when service is delivered by a human concierge. Further, assurance had a positive influence on social engagement when a human concierge provided the service. When a social robot concierge delivered the service, empathy and entertainment both influenced emotional engagement, and assurance and entertainment impacted social engagement favourably. For both CONTROL (human concierge) and SERVBOT (social robot concierge), emotional and social engagement had a significant influence on intentions to use. This study is the first to propose the SERVBOT model to measure social robots’ service quality. The model provides a theoretical underpinning on the key service quality dimensions of a social robot and gives scholars and managers a method to track the service quality of a social robot. The study also extends the literature by exploring the key factors that influence the use of social robots (i.e., emotional and social engagement)

The impact of social virtual presence agents and content-based product recommendation system on on-line customer purchase intention

The appearance of the digital market came as turning point factor, obligating companies to maintain the relationship with consumers by improving and keeping a high technological innovativeness on-line overall experience. The lack of studies on antropomorphization of virtual voice assistances chatbot and the possibilities, yet to be found, on customized product recommendation system variation integration, brought the author to this study. The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of using two different chatbot social virtual presences interactions: with a fully pre-recorded computed personification agent versus with a pre-recorded human social virtual agent; and also understand how having a customized content-based product recommendation system can influence the consumers purchase intention at on-line shopping framework. An on-line platform was developed, recreating a possible virtual store interaction, and the core data was treated using a PLS-SEM model. The results indicate that Human Social Virtual Presence Agent, while assisting the shoppers, have a larger model positive effect on Intellectual stimulus and Hedonic Benefits than a computed personification Agent. This might be explained by the fact that computed imagery and sound Agent was perceived with some amount of emotional creepiness by the participants. Also, recommendation system presence is impacting customers purchase intention on a positive way when compared with not using recommendation system. Thus, this study shows how relevant social interactions are for the customers, especially when done by a human, and how recommendation system has an impact on customers purchase intention.Com o aparecimento do mercado "on-line", as empresas que quiseram manter uma relação de qualidade com os seus clientes, tiveram de investir no desenvolvimento de uma experiência de utilizador de qualidade e manter um olhar atento na inovação. A falta de estudos relativos à antropomorfização em "chatbots" virtuais e as possibilidades, ainda por descobrir, do sistema de recomendação de produtos à medida de cada utilizador, trouxeram o autor ao tema deste estudo. O seu objetivo é investigar os efeitos de dois tipos de presença social em "chatbots": uma presença virtual computada versus uma presença virtual humana; e como o sistema de recomendação de produtos à medida de cada utilizador influencia a intenção de compra dos consumidores nas lojas "on-line". Para tal, foi desenvolvida uma plataforma "on-line", recriando uma possível interação em loja virtual. Os dados foram tratados utilizando o modelo PLS-SEM. Os resultados indicam que a presença social virtual feita por um agente humano melhora substancialmente o estímulo intelectual feito pela marca e os seus benefícios hedónicos, quando comparado com um agente virtual computado. Tal resultado pode ser explicado pelo facto dos participantes que interagiram com um agente computado sentirem um maior valor de "creepiness". Considerando que a utilização do sistema de recomendação de produtos tem forte impacto na intenção de comprar do consumidor, este estudo mostra-se relevante ao salientar a importância da presença social nas lojas "on-line", especialmente quando o agente é humano

Digital Transformation

The amount of literature on Digital Transformation is staggering—and it keeps growing. Why, then, come out with yet another such document? Moreover, any text aiming at explaining the Digital Transformation by presenting a snapshot is going to become obsolete in a blink of an eye, most likely to be already obsolete at the time it is first published. The FDC Initiative on Digital Reality felt there is a need to look at the Digital Transformation from the point of view of a profound change that is pervading the entire society—a change made possible by technology and that keeps changing due to technology evolution opening new possibilities but is also a change happening because it has strong economic reasons. The direction of this change is not easy to predict because it is steered by a cultural evolution of society, an evolution that is happening in niches and that may expand rapidly to larger constituencies and as rapidly may fade away. This creation, selection by experimentation, adoption, and sudden disappearance, is what makes the whole scenario so unpredictable and continuously changing.The amount of literature on Digital Transformation is staggering—and it keeps growing. Why, then, come out with yet another such document? Moreover, any text aiming at explaining the Digital Transformation by presenting a snapshot is going to become obsolete in a blink of an eye, most likely to be already obsolete at the time it is first published. The FDC Initiative on Digital Reality felt there is a need to look at the Digital Transformation from the point of view of a profound change that is pervading the entire society—a change made possible by technology and that keeps changing due to technology evolution opening new possibilities but is also a change happening because it has strong economic reasons. The direction of this change is not easy to predict because it is steered by a cultural evolution of society, an evolution that is happening in niches and that may expand rapidly to larger constituencies and as rapidly may fade away. This creation, selection by experimentation, adoption, and sudden disappearance, is what makes the whole scenario so unpredictable and continuously changing