Investigating the Usability of Collaborative Robot control through Hands-Free Operation using Eye gaze and Augmented Reality

This paper proposes a novel operation for controlling a mobile robot using a head-mounted device. Conventionally, robots are operated using computers or a joystick, which creates limitations in usability and flexibility because control equipment has to be carried by hand. This lack of flexibility may prevent workers from multitasking or carrying objects while operating the robot. To address this limitation, we propose a hands-free method to operate the mobile robot with a human gaze in an Augmented Reality (AR) environment. The proposed work is demonstrated using the HoloLens 2 to control the mobile robot, Robotnik Summit-XL, through the eye-gaze in AR. Stable speed control and navigation of the mobile robot were achieved through admittance control which was calculated using the gaze position. The experiment was conducted to compare the usability between the joystick and the proposed operation, and the results were validated through surveys (i.e., SUS, SEQ). The survey results from the participants after the experiments showed that the wearer of the HoloLens accurately operated the mobile robot in a collaborative manner. The results for both the joystick and the HoloLens were marked as easy to use with above-average usability. This suggests that the HoloLens can be used as a replacement for the joystick to allow hands-free robot operation and has the potential to increase the efficiency of human-robot collaboration in situations when hands-free controls are needed.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2023), 6 page

Effects of Workplace Fun on Employee Behaviors: Focused on Generation Y in the Hospitality Industry

The conceptual model of this study was tested based on responses from 234 hospitality students in the US who are Generation Yers and had worked in the hospitality industry for more than 3 months. This study revealed that Generation Y employees’ attitude toward workplace fun positively affects their experienced workplace fun. In turn, Generation Yers’ experienced workplace fun showed direct effects on their job satisfaction, task performance, and interpersonal citizenship behaviors. Affected by experienced workplace fun, job satisfaction significantly enhanced employees’ task performance and interpersonal job satisfaction. In essence, for Generation Y employees in hospitality businesses, workplace fun is a significant factor in their job satisfaction, task performance, and interpersonal citizenship behavior. These findings provide a significant insight to hospitality employers who typically have a hard time to attract best young talents and motivate them mainly due to low-paying, low-status nature of hospitality jobs

Model of sustainable behavior: Assessing cognitive, emotional, and normative influence in the cruise context

There is a lack of published research on individuals’ decision formation for proenvironmental behaviors while traveling on cruise ships. This study included the cognitive, affective, and normative processes related to this, and considered their interrelations in the prediction model of passenger cruising intention in an environmentally responsible way. We estimated the proposed theoretical framework using structural equation analysis. The final model was generated by altering the proposed model. The findings indicated that our conceptual framework had a sufficient level of anticipatory power for green intention and that moral and subjective norms were the most influential determinants of intention. In addition, the important interrelationships among these cognitive, affective, and normative factors were identified. Moreover, anticipated emotions and moral norm were significant mediators. Overall, the results of this study substantially supported our theoretical framework comprising the intricate associations among study variables. Implications for tourism researchers and cruise practitioners are discussed

Learning Cooperative Dynamic Manipulation Skills from Human Demonstration Videos

This article proposes a method for learning and robotic replication of dynamic collaborative tasks from offline videos. The objective is to extend the concept of learning from demonstration (LfD) to dynamic scenarios, benefiting from widely available or easily producible offline videos. To achieve this goal, we decode important dynamic information, such as the Configuration Dependent Stiffness (CDS), which reveals the contribution of arm pose to the arm endpoint stiffness, from a three-dimensional human skeleton model. Next, through encoding of the CDS via Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and decoding via Gaussian Mixture Regression (GMR), the robot's Cartesian impedance profile is estimated and replicated. We demonstrate the proposed method in a collaborative sawing task with leader-follower structure, considering environmental constraints and dynamic uncertainties. The experimental setup includes two Panda robots, which replicate the leader-follower roles and the impedance profiles extracted from a two-persons sawing video

Whole exome and targeted deep sequencing identify genome-wide allelic loss and frequent SETDB1 mutations in malignant pleural mesotheliomas.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis, is mainly caused by exposure to asbestos or other organic fibers, but the underlying genetic mechanism is not fully understood. Genetic alterations and causes for multiple primary cancer development including MPM are unknown. We used whole exome sequencing to identify somatic mutations in a patient with MPM and two additional primary cancers who had no evidence of venous, arterial, lymphovascular, or perineural invasion indicating dissemination of a primary lung cancer to the pleura. We found that the MPM had R282W, a key TP53 mutation, and genome-wide allelic loss or loss of heterozygosity, a distinct genomic alteration not previously described in MPM. We identified frequent inactivating SETDB1 mutations in this patient and in 68 additional MPM patients (mutation frequency: 10%, 7/69) by targeted deep sequencing. Our observations suggest the possibility of a new genetic mechanism in the development of either MPM or multiple primary cancers. The frequent SETDB1 inactivating mutations suggest there could be new diagnostic or therapeutic options for MPM

Drivers of brand loyalty in the chain coffee shop industry

The present study aimed to examine patrons’ loyalty generation process for a chain coffee shop brand by considering the role of cognitive drivers, affective drivers, brand satisfaction, and relationship commitment. A field survey was conducted in chain coffee shops located in the popular shopping districts of a metropolitan city in South Korea. The proposed model was evaluated by using a structural equation analysis. The results revealed that cognitive and affective factors were in general significantly interrelated; such associations along with brand satisfaction and relationship commitment significantly influenced brand loyalty; and, the brand satisfaction was the most important contributor to building brand loyalty. In addition, the mediating role of study variables was identified. Overall, the proposed theoretical framework contained a sufficient level of explanatory power for brand loyalty. With a lack of research about coffee shop customers’ purchasing behavior, the findings can be meaningfully used for the enhancement of customer loyalty

Understanding museum vacationers’ eco-friendly decision-making process: Strengthening the VBN framework

In the present research, the process of vacationers’ pro-environmental decision formation for environmentally responsible museums was examined. This research employed and broadened the value-belief-norm theory, using satisfaction with green product use, green trust, and frequency of past behavior for green product use as predictors. A structural equation modeling was utilized for modeling comparisons and hypothesis testing. A measurement model tested using the data gathered at museums was found to satisfactorily fit to the data. Newly integrated constructs significantly improved the prediction power of the theory. In addition, results of the structural equation modeling generally supported the proposed relationships. Moreover, a salient role of moral norm was identified. As expected, new environmental paradigm, awareness of consequences, ascribed responsibility, and moral norm played an important mediating role. A parsimonious model with greater prediction power than the original value-belief-norm theory was produced through modeling comparisons and the process of testing relationships among research variables. Our results offer a sufficient understanding of vacationers’ pro-environmental intention for eco-friendly museums

International volunteer tourism and youth travelers – an emerging tourism trend

This study attempted to examine the intricate associations among volunteer tourism (VT) motivations, overall image, satisfaction, trust, and the influence of these relationships on behavioral intentions among youth travelers. Our findings from the structural analysis indicated that VT motivations significantly contributed to building positive images, inducing satisfactory VT experiences, and building trust with a VT organization. Our results also demonstrated the competence of the higher-order structure of VT motivations in explicating the intention formation. In addition, the overall image, satisfaction, and trust played an important mediating role. Moreover, satisfaction with VT experiences was of utmost significance in determining intentions

Role of airline food quality, price reasonableness, image, satisfaction, and attachment in building re-flying intention

Quality of in-flight food and beverage is undoubtedly one of the most important requisites for passengers’ pleasurable flight experiences in the full-service airline industry. Nonetheless, little is known about its role in forming re-flying intention. The present research successfully addressed this omission by uncovering the positive relationships among multiple quality factors of in-flight food and beverage (core, external, and delivery), price reasonableness, airline image, satisfaction, and re-flying intention in an empirical manner. Specifically, our findings verified the effectiveness of the higher-order structure of in-flight food and beverage quality that significantly enhances passengers’ perceived reasonableness of price, airline image, and satisfaction in their re-flying decision-making process. Our empirical result also identified the mediating impact of price, image, and satisfaction. Moreover, the result of the metric-invariance test demonstrated the significant moderating impact of passenger attachment to in-flight food and beverage on re-flying intention formation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed

Role of social network services (SNS) sales promotions in generating brand loyalty for chain steakhouses

This research aimed to explore the impact of social network services (SNS) sales promotions on the brand loyalty generation process by considering the role of brand attitude, awareness, service quality, experience, trust, and attachment in the chain steakhouse industry. A field survey was conducted to collect data in a metropolitan city of South Korea. According to our structural equation modeling results, SNS sales promotions significantly increased loyalty and its antecedents, and brand attachment had the greatest influence on brand loyalty. The mediating impact of study variables was also identified. The proposed model had a satisfactory level of prediction power for loyalty. Overall, our findings provided important insights into how steakhouse practitioners can deal with SNS as essential promotional tools and provided valuable insights into why using SNS sales promotions is critical in the fast-changing chain restaurant industry