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The issue of searching and collecting targets with patchy distribution in an unknown environment is a challenging task for multiple or swarm robots because the targets are unevenly dispersed in space, which makes the traditional solutions based on the idea of path planning and full spatial coverage very inefficient and time consuming. In this paper, by employing a novel framework of spatial-density-field-based interactions, a collective searching and collecting algorithm for heterogeneous swarm robots is proposed to solve the challenging issue in a self-organized manner. In our robotic system, two types of swarm robots, i.e., the searching robots and the collecting robots, are included. To start with, the searching robots conduct an environment exploration by means of formation movement with Levy flights; when the targets are detected by the searching robots, they spontaneously form a ring-shaped envelope to estimate the spatial distribution of targets. Then, a single robot is selected from the group to enter the patch and locates at the patch's center to act as a guiding beacon. Subsequently, the collecting robots are recruited by the guiding beacon to gather the patch targets; they first form a ring-shaped envelope around the target patch and then push the scattered targets inward by using a spiral shrinking strategy; in this way, all targets eventually are stacked near the center of the target patch. With the cooperation of the searching robots and the collecting robots, our heterogeneous robotic system can operate autonomously as a coordinated group to complete the task of collecting targets in an unknown environment. Numerical simulations and real swarm robot experiments (up to 20 robots are used) show that the proposed algorithm is feasible and effective, and it can be extended to search and collect different types of targets with patchy distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building collaborative ties has become an increasingly important strategy for influencing firms' ambidextrous innovation in transition economies, we examine the relationship between collaborative ties and ambidextrous innovation—with a focus on the mediating effect of knowledge acquisition using firm-level data in China. The empirical results reveal several important findings. First, collaborative ties among partners have a positive effect on firms' ambidextrous innovation. Second, collaborative ties among partners are more beneficial to the firm's external knowledge acquisition than internal knowledge acquisition. Lastly, the mediating effect of internal knowledge acquisition on the relationship between collaborative ties and ambidextrous innovation of firms is higher than that of external knowledge acquisition. These findings contribute to the literature on ambidexterity theory. Moreover, these findings also extend our understanding of the importance of the integration of internal and external knowledge acquisition in collaborative relationships, and enrich knowledge management literature within the collaborative ties framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we examine the relationship between strategic networks and new product performance from the perspective of ambidextrous innovation (i.e. combining exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation) using a sample of 323 manufacturing firms in the transitional economy of China. Our empirical analyses present several interesting findings: (a) strategic networks are positively related to firms’ new product performance; (b) ambidextrous innovation has a positive effect on firms’ new product performance - that is, the combination of exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation positively affects the firm's new product performance, while the lack of balance between exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation negatively affects the firm's new product performance; and (c) ambidextrous innovation mediates the relationship between strategic networks and new product performance. Our findings provide scholars and managers with a better understanding of the key role played by the simultaneous adoption of exploratory and exploitative innovation in the relationship between strategic networks and new product performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]