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Vision, audition, olfactory, tactile and taste are five important senses that human uses to interact with the real world. As facing more and more complex environments, a sensing system is essential for intelligent robots with various types of sensors. To mimic human-like abilities, sensors similar to human perception capabilities are indispensable. However, most research only concentrated on analyzing literature on single-modal sensors and their robotics application.

This study presents a systematic review of five bioinspired senses, especially considering a brief introduction of multimodal sensing applications and predicting current trends and future directions of this field, which may have continuous enlightenments.

This review shows that bioinspired sensors can enable robots to better understand the environment, and multiple sensor combinations can support the robot’s ability to behave intelligently.

The review starts with a brief survey of the biological sensing mechanisms of the five senses, which are followed by their bioinspired electronic counterparts. Their applications in the robots are then reviewed as another emphasis, covering the main application scopes of localization and navigation, objection identification, dexterous manipulation, compliant interaction and so on. Finally, the trends, difficulties and challenges of this research were discussed to help guide future research on intelligent robot sensors.

This study aimed to determine the initial odor concentration which commonly urges Thais to make complaints and to propose an off-site limit for odorous emissions.

Odor concentrations measured by Nasal Rangers® and face-to-face survey interviews were simultaneously conducted with 122 residents located near 101 manufacturing centers in 20 provinces of Thailand. Along with the measured values and odor strength verbally rated by trained assessors, the number of complaint intentions, annoyance levels and health symptoms of residents were reported.

The odor concentrations in the inspected houses were <2, 2, 4, 7, 15, 30 and 60 D/T. The trained assessors stated that at the concentration of 4D/T, most odors were likely to be objectionable and unbearable when odor concentrations were higher. Correspondingly, about 80% of residents exposed to odors at this level felt some annoyance and reported health symptoms and therefore intended to register a complaint. At lower concentrations, the annoyance level as well as the decision to complain likely depended on other factors such as hedonic tone and exposure frequency.

The proposed off-site reference value for odor complaint assessment was 4D/T. However, in the case of lower concentrations, additional relevant factors were crucially required to investigate the complaint.

This finding will help local authorities diminish subjective discretion on whether or not an odor constitutes a nuisance.

This article explores the scientific construction of library olfactory space, based on the case of the olfactory space in the Jiangsu University library. It specifically focuses on understanding the interaction between the physical architectural space of the library and users’ olfactory perception and behavioral activities, with the ultimate goal of creating a deeply integrated olfactory experience in the Jiangsu University Library.

In this article, an empirical research method was used to gather perceptions from 30 university student users regarding the library olfactory space and to understand their olfactory preferences and requirements for its construction. Through qualitative analysis of the interview texts, the study identified correlations between user perceptions and elements of the library olfactory space.

The qualitative analysis of user interview texts and results from the library olfactory space design experiment contributed to the design proposal for the Jiangsu University Library olfactory space. The design proposal for the Jiangsu University Library olfactory space is provided and includes library architecture, activity context, functional services, olfactory experience design and technological applications.

This case study takes the environment, development strategy and user needs of the Jiangsu University Library as its unique research background and as such is not universal or generalizable to other libraries.

This article differs from others by advocating for the innovative architectural spatial design of libraries through olfactory experience, breaking the traditional perception of libraries as solely through visual and auditory senses.

Modern meat processing requires automation and robotisation to remain sustainable and adapt to future challenges, including those brought by global infection events. Automation of all or many processes is seen as the way forward, with robots performing various tasks instead of people. Meat cutting is one of these tasks. Smart novel solutions, including smart knives, are required, with the smart knife being able to analyse and predict the meat it cuts. This paper aims to review technologies with the potential to be used as a so-called “smart knife” The criteria for a smart knife are also defined.

This paper reviews various technologies that can be used, either alone or in combination, for developing a future smart knife for robotic meat cutting, with possibilities for their integration into automatic meat processing. Optical methods, Near Infra-Red spectroscopy, electrical impedance spectroscopy, force sensing and electromagnetic wave-based sensing approaches are assessed against the defined criteria for a smart knife.

Optical methods are well established for meat quality and composition characterisation but lack speed and robustness for real-time use as part of a cutting tool. Combining these methods with artificial intelligence (AI) could improve the performance. Methods, such as electrical impedance measurements and rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry, are invasive and not suitable in meat processing since they damage the meat. One attractive option is using athermal electromagnetic waves, although no commercially developed solutions exist that are readily adaptable to produce a smart knife with proven functionality, robustness or reliability.

This paper critically reviews and assesses a range of sensing technologies with very specific requirements: to be compatible with robotic assisted cutting in the meat industry. The concept of a smart knife that can benefit from these technologies to provide a real-time “feeling feedback” to the robot is at the centre of the discussion.

The purpose of this paper is to examine FaceReader as a tool to compare the olfactory preferences of two selected countries. This paper examines the olfactory preferences of customers in the bakery department of a grocery store in the Slovak and the Spanish market.

The aim of this study is to examine subconscious/unconscious preferences in the selection of aromas suitable for the bakery department in the Slovak and the Spanish market. In this case, it is not a classical qualitative sensory testing of the perception of fragrances. The aim is to identify the associations of scents related to the selected sales department through images of the selected aromas. A special platform is used to obtain subconscious/unconscious feedback, which allows online collection of implicit feedback using the software FaceReader 7.

The authors noticed the different moods of the two groups of respondents when they answered the question about what they associate with the smell of bakery products. The Spanish respondents were slightly pleasantly disposed, while the Slovak respondents were slightly unpleasantly disposed. The smell of bakery products evoked more memories and emotions in the Spanish respondents than in the Slovak respondents, which can be explained by the higher pleasant mood. The main contribution of this work lies in the new opportunities to obtain feedback that can be used in marketing research and that rely not only on explicit but also implicit data. The extension of the methodological apparatus to implicit feedback presupposes some form of control of the data collected by the questionnaire. The use of biometric tools can represent an efficient alternative in terms of time and money to the use of neuroimaging tools in the selection/research of aromas for specific stores/departments.

It must be noted that the sample is small, and adequate conclusions cannot be made about entire population. Based on empirical findings and pandemic-related limitations, the authors plan to conduct similar research with real aroma samples and with even larger sample of tested respondents, considering weather, season, olfactory sensitivity (anosmia, hyposmia and normosmia) and participant fatigue (beginning and end of the week).

Today, marketers are facing the greatest challenge of how to attract consumers’ attention. Every individual has a different perception of the shopping environment based on his own experience, beliefs and attitudes. This is why new marketing techniques and approaches are becoming increasingly popular in the marketing environment.

El objetivo de esta investigación es examinar FaceReader como una herramienta para comparar las preferencias olfativas entre dos países. Concretamente, examinamos las preferencias olfativas de los clientes en el departamento de panadería de un supermercado en el mercado eslovaco y español.

El objetivo de este estudio es examinar las preferencias subconscientes/inconscientes en la selección de aromas adecuados para el departamento de panadería en el mercado eslovaco y español. En este caso, no se trata de una prueba sensorial cualitativa clásica de la percepción de fragancias. El objetivo es identificar las asociaciones de olores relacionados con el departamento de ventas seleccionado a través de imágenes de los aromas seleccionados. Se utiliza una plataforma especial para obtener comentarios subconscientes/inconscientes, que permite la recopilación en línea de comentarios implícitos utilizando el software FaceReader 7.

Observamos diferentes estados de ánimo de los dos grupos de encuestados cuando respondieron a la pregunta sobre qué asociaban con el olor de los productos de panadería. Los encuestados españoles estaban ligeramente más predispuestos hacia aromas más agradables, mientras que los encuestados eslovacos estaban ligeramente más predispuestos hacia aromas menos agradables. El olor de los productos de panadería evocó más recuerdos y emociones en los encuestados españoles que en los eslovacos, lo que puede explicarse por el estado de ánimo. La principal contribución de este trabajo radica en las nuevas oportunidades para obtener comentarios que pueden ser utilizados en investigaciones de marketing y que no solo se basan en datos explícitos, sino también implícitos. La ampliación del aparato metodológico para obtener comentarios implícitos presupone algún tipo de control de los datos recopilados mediante el cuestionario. El uso de herramientas biométricas puede representar una alternativa eficiente en términos de tiempo y dinero al uso de herramientas de neuroimagen en la selección/investigación de aromas para tiendas/departamentos específicos.

Debe tenerse en cuenta que la muestra utilizada es pequeña y no se pueden extrapolar conclusiones para toda la población. Basándonos en los resultados empíricos y con las limitaciones relacionadas con la pandemia, planeamos realizar una investigación similar con muestras de aroma reales y con una muestra aún más grande de encuestados, considerando el clima, la temporada, la sensibilidad olfativa (anosmia, hiposmia, normosmia) y la fatiga de los participantes (inicio y fin de semana).

Hoy en día, los profesionales del marketing se enfrentan al gran desafío de cómo atraer la atención de los consumidores. Cada individuo tiene una percepción diferente del entorno de compra basada en su propia experiencia, creencias y actitudes. Es por eso que las nuevas técnicas y enfoques de marketing se están volviendo cada vez más populares en el entorno del marketing.

本文旨在探讨FaceReader在比较斯洛伐克和西班牙两个国家的顾客嗅觉偏好方面的效用。我们以斯洛伐克和西班牙市场一家食品杂货店的面点部门顾客为研究对象, 考察其嗅觉偏好。

本研究的目标是探讨在斯洛伐克和西班牙市场选择适合面点部门的香气时潜在的/无意识的偏好。与传统的定性感官测试不同, 我们旨在通过选定香气的图像识别与选定销售部门相关的气味的联想, 并通过FaceReader 7软件在线收集隐性反馈。

我们观察到两组受访者在回答关于面点产品气味联想时的心境差异。西班牙受访者略带愉悦, 而斯洛伐克受访者略带不悦。西班牙受访者对面点产品的气味引起的记忆和情感更为丰富, 这可能是由更高愉悦心境所解释的。该研究的主要贡献在于提供了在营销研究中利用反馈的新机会, 该反馈不仅依赖于明确的数据, 还依赖于隐性数据。将方法学工具扩展到隐性反馈的前提是以某种形式对问卷收集的数据进行控制。在为特定商店/部门选择/研究香气方面, 相对于使用神经影像工具在时间和金钱方面的花费, 生物测定工具的使用可以作为高效替代。

由于本研究的样本量较小, 因此不能对整个人口做出充分的结论。基于经验发现和受到大流行病限制, 我们计划进行类似研究, 使用真实的香气样本, 并考虑更大规模的受试者样本, 同时考虑到天气、季节、嗅觉敏感度（嗅觉缺失、嗅觉减退、正常嗅觉）和参与者疲劳程度（周初和周末）对受试者的影响。

当今, 营销人员面临着吸引消费者注意的最大挑战。每个个体根据其自身经验、信仰和态度对购物环境有着不同的感知。因此, 在营销环境中, 新的营销技术和方法变得越来越受欢迎。

This paper aims to historicise the contemporary chlorophyll trend through the first academic study of its early marketing in Sweden (1950–1953). Using multimodal critical discourse analysis, it demonstrates how brands used advertisements to convince female consumers of chlorophyll’s necessity to fulfil certain aspirational goals.

In all, 150 advertisements for chlorophyll products were collected from the Swedish Historical Newspaper Archive, as well as 600 additional advertisements for the three most popular products (toothpaste/mouthwash, sanitary towels and soap) from 1940 to 1950 and from 1954 to 1964. Then, multimodal critical discourse analysis was used to investigate how the products were marketed before, during and after the chlorophyll trend, identifying the general themes and linguistic/semiotic structures of the advertisements.

This paper shows how the commercial use of chlorophyll offered a lucrative opportunity for marketers, acting as a “tabula rasa” on which they could use discourses of science, nature, idealised femininity and luxury to draw connections with health, modernity and beauty, despite the product having no real purpose or value.

Viewing this fad from a historical perspective emphasises how brands, marketers and influencers continue to capitalise on the anxieties of female consumers with promises around beauty, hygiene and health. It, thus, offers us critical distance to reflect on contemporary claims about chlorophyll’s health benefits to make informed choices.

According to thesaurus definitions, the absurd translates as “ridiculously unreasonable, unsound, or incongruous”; “extremely silly; not logical and sensible”. As further indicated in the Latin root absurdus, “out of tune, uncouth, inappropriate, ridiculous,” humor in absurd registers plays with that which is out of harmony with both reason and decency. In this article, the authors make an argument for the absurd as a feminist method for tackling heterosexism.

By focusing on the Twitter account “Men Write Women” (est. 2019), the rationale of which is to share literary excerpts from male authors describing women's experiences, thoughts and appearances, and which regularly broadens into social theater in the user reactions, the study explores the critical value of absurdity in feminist social media tactics.

The study proposes the absurd as a means of not merely turning things around, or inside out, but disrupting and eschewing the hegemonic logic on offer. While both absurd humor and feminist activism may begin from a site of reactivity and negative evaluation, it need not remain confined to it. Rather, by turning things preposterous, ludicrous and inappropriate, absurd laughter ends up somewhere different. The feminist value of absurd humor has to do with both its critical edge and with the affective lifts and spaces of ambiguity that it allows for.

Research on digital feminist activism has largely focused on the affective dynamics of anger. As there are multiple affective responses to sexism, our article foregrounds laughter and ambivalence as a means of claiming space differently in online cultures rife with hate, sexism and misogyny.

In the wine industry, maintaining superior quality standards is crucial to meet the expectations of both producers and consumers. Traditional approaches to assessing wine quality involve labor-intensive processes and rely on the expertise of connoisseurs proficient in identifying taste profiles and key quality factors. In this research, we introduce an innovative and efficient approach centered on the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) signals using an electronic nose, thereby empowering nonexperts to accurately assess wine quality.

To devise an optimal algorithm for this purpose, we conducted four computational experiments, culminating in the development of a specialized deep learning network. This network seamlessly integrates 1D-convolutional and long-short-term memory layers, tailor-made for the intricate task at hand. Rigorous validation ensued, employing a leave-one-out cross-validation methodology to scrutinize the efficacy of our design.

The outcomes of these e-demonstrates were subjected to meticulous evaluation and analysis, which unequivocally demonstrate that our proposed architecture consistently attains promising recognition accuracies, ranging impressively from 87.8% to an astonishing 99.41%. All this is achieved within a remarkably brief timeframe of a mere 4 seconds. These compelling findings have far-reaching implications, promising to revolutionize the assessment and tracking of wine quality, ultimately affording substantial benefits to the wine industry and all its stakeholders, with a particular focus on the critical aspect of VOCs signal analysis.

This research has not been published anywhere else.

This article explores the value of engaging a hybrid learning strategy in a micro-enterprise setting when responding to a global pandemic. The research question asks: “Does a hybrid learning strategy enhance a micro-enterprise's response to extreme events?”.

A micro-enterprise owner–manager (OM) reflects on their experience running a business during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which resulted in the complete decimation of the organization’s revenue stream in early 2020. Captured in conversation with an academic peer, these practitioner insights provide valuable case evidence relating to micro-enterprise response to extreme commercial events, such as a global pandemic.

The journey from initial survival-mode to emergent market opportunity recognition and subsequent growth is recorded. The paper contributes to the limited research on the impact of learning strategy plans on micro-enterprise crisis response strategies and provides insights into the value of engaging a hybrid learning strategy when responding to a significant external business shock.

Drawing from these insights, the authors offer a literature-informed framework from which to consider the dynamics of an adaptive strategic response in a micro-enterprise setting, offering a means through which micro-enterprises can plan for and respond to extreme events in the future.