Robotics and AR: Transforming Shoe Production Efficiency

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Introduction: Executive Summary: Main Body: Robotics and AR in the Production Chain As Brunke et al. (2022, p. 2) define it, Robotics is an engineering branch that entails conceiving, designing, and operating robots. Robots largely use artificial intelligence (AI). AI is the ability to make machines that mimic human intelligence. Robotics is designed to make human-like decisions, sometimes even better ones. In robotics, there are a number of forms. It can resemble a human person or a robotic application, a simulation of how humans engage with software (Hofmann, 2020, p. 100). Robotics involves making machines with creative intellectual properties and mechanical capabilities that make it possible to make more efficient decisions and produce excellent results. The production section within Under Armour is concerned with coming up with new designs and producing shoes that are to be taken into the market. This is a crucial section within Under Armour in that their failure to innovate cutting-edge shoes would be detrimental to the brand of Under Armour. Robotics also use sensors to enable tasks to be done. Sensors are devices that produce a signal for an output to sense a phenomenon (Jin et al., 2020, p. 2). The sensor responds to an input that usually emanates from the physical environment. The output is usually a readable signal. Readability can be something that one can read and comprehend or observe and signal the output. Programming is at the center of sensors, and they are programmed to produce certain outputs, either positive or negative. As Xiong et al. (2021, pp. 2-3) write, augmented reality involves integrating digital data with the user's environment in real time. This is a diversion from virtual reality (VR). VR helps create an artificial environment where people usually interact with machines and other people. An AR user gets a totally different feeling in that they can get a real-world experience through the technology. The aim of AR is to enhance one's experience and ensure one gets a sense of what one will be experiencing. It is real-time (Tsai & Huang, 2018, p. 174), and the user's feelings are exactly what they are intended to feel. Application of AR and Robotics in the Production of Shoes The production of shoes in Under Armour (UA) needs to be efficient and meet the demands of the consumers (Kasim et al., 2018, p. 41). UA's competitors have extensively used technology to ensure they stay ahead of the competition. The use of sensors in the production of shoes would embed robotics. Courtesy of technology, there are sensors so small that they can be embedded into anything, remain undetectable, and record accurate results. Gone are the days when sensors were using wired technology. The current technological age uses wireless sensors that make it easy to monitor the progress of whatever one may wish from wherever they are (Ramson & Moni, 2017, p. 339). UA has a technological lab from which they can simulate the type of shoe they wish to produce into the market before they do it. Robotics would need user sensors, which would be embedded into the shoes to detect athletes' movements and reactions while they are wearing UA shoes.

Producing the Right Design of Shoes In producing excellent and great shoes, the shoes need to have the right design, weight, material, and other dimensions. UA would not need to fumble on the type of material to use as they would carry out tests using robotics to ensure that whatever shoes they are producing, they make the athletes comfortable. Comfortability comes at the top of the chain regarding knowing the right shoe to use as an athlete. Concurrently, UA has gone further to innovate goods so that it is not only athletes who wear the boots but the general public. These are good target consumers as they have a majority of the numbers. They would earn much more from selling their wear to fans than athletes. With robotics, an athlete's shoes would have sensors that would record the athlete's reactions as they use them. The sensors would also be embedded into other sports apparel, recording the comfortability of the wearers. This is mostly happening through a pilot program where contracted athletes are requested to wear the shoe in a controlled environment and try to perform tasks and exercises so that their movement is recorded. Depending on the reactions of the wearers, the sensors would send back signals to the production team, which would take note of the recordings and know where to improve in producing the sports apparel and shoes and what to avoid producing them. The company would not need to fumble by making a whole batch of goods into the market without being sure whether the fans and sportspeople would love the shoes. They would be creating designs of shoes that are tested and have suitable characteristics that would make them comfortable enough to be used by both the athletes and the general public. High Precision Technology to Produce the Products High precision is required to assemble footwear and other sports apparel (Pagano et al., 2020, pp. 1- 3). This causes the need to have cutting-edge technologies that understand the assignment very well. Robotics would also be used with computer vision (CV). CV technology makes it a reality to detect an exact position of an object so that the robot can work on it (Chen & Li, 2021). As athletes and other people who have embraced athleisure go about their tasks, they exert pressure on the shoe, receiving a reaction. Uncomfortable shoes come from factors such as the shoe not being able to give off heat that the foot generates as it runs, walks, or does other duties. This makes it uncomfortable to wear the shoes, and consumers would therefore shy away from purchasing goods that are related to the brand. Therefore, sensors would help ensure that the material being used is the right one and has the best impact on the intended consumers. Embedding AR and Robotics Augmented reality can be embedded into robotics by ensuring that the products being produced are validated as they are manufactured. AR gives real-time data, and there are no delays in relaying data (Zhu et al., 2019, p. 898). Therefore, the production of the shoes would be significantly enhanced by ensuring that goods are produced faster in marketing, meeting the ever-changing demands in the market. AR can also be used to give a clearer result of the final product that is to be produced. The design process requires that it be fast to keep up with competitors who are always innovating customer-centric goods. Tasks would be easily facilitated using AR, and it would be easy to know areas where defects are and make sure that the deficiencies are corrected as soon as they happen so that there is no long time wasted in innovating the products. Using robotics and embedding it with VR would ensure that whatever goods the company innovates are welcome into the market. This a cutting-edge type of technology that can be used within the production section to ensure efficient products are produced. This would make it easy for the company to compete effectively in the market. They would not need to spend so much time

innovating goods. They would be monitoring the production progress and knowing which areas within their section they are supposed to improve. Under Armour is a reputable brand that has recorded massive sales. It can be named among the top giants in producing sports shoes and apparel that gives users a comfortable space through the shoe design to compete within the market effectively. Solutions: The problems that are faced by Under armour can be solved with digital transformation. Digital transformation always helps in achieving good outcomes, high-profit margins and helps in improving the selling experience overall. The issues faced by under armour on its accounting practices can be solved by digitalizing its accounts and following strict ethical practices. There were some federal investigations that happened where Under Armour was asked about its accounting practices as it manipulated its sale numbers (Mirabella, 2019). Also, the agile approach helps in solving these issues by adapting ethical practices to the business which allows more transparency to the accounts. In the market, Under Armour is considered as not ethical as they do not disclose more information on how they treat their employees and about the plans and policies, they are implementing (Editors, 2022). In order to avoid these issues, they have to create more transparency on what they are doing which helps in being more ethical in the market. Also, in the recent days, Under Armour is having challenges with its growth and expansion. To be competitive in the market with other brands like Adidas, and Nike, Under Armour, has to adopt digital transformation with which they can advertise their products and company brand digitally on social media platforms, and athletic events (McDonald, 2020) and can make partnerships with different sports organizations to increase their brand value. Also, all the decisions in the organization are made at the top level which does not give the transparency on the decisions made. So, the under Armour organization can follow the Agile leadership approach which includes all the stakeholders in the discussions and the decision-making process. This is very flexible and helps in being transparent with the decisions. Also, agile leadership helps in communicating with their teams effectively and easily and employees are encouraged to share their ideas across the organization (Betterworks, 2021). Agile leadership helps in removing any blockers which ensure their team members can work easily. This helps in achieving success to the organization. Moreover, agile leaders always notice on the external changes happening in the market, economy to analyse how they can impact our workplace. In agile, the organization gets chance to regularly reassess their priorities and strategies according to outside changes. Therefore,

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following agile leadership, improving ethical practices and being transparent on the organization updates helps in achieving under armour business success. Conclusion: Artificial intelligence has alluring capabilities which offer numerous benefits to companies regardless of the industry. Be it logistics, healthcare, or retail, AI-empowered decision-making is giving good results for companies. Through the integration of AI into business processes, companies in the apparel & footwear industry also can reap various benefits. Under Armour is one of the globally recognized brands for sports apparel, clothing & footwear, integration of AI into its business processes helps Under Armour with predictive analytics that provides insights into inventory-related guidance, purchase patterns, production, research and design, and fashion trends. The combination of AI and robotics in the apparel & footwear industry not only increases production speed, but also increases accuracy, and reduces human costs. Through the partnership with Autodesk, Under Armour has come up with a unique sneaker that was printed by employing artificial intelligence and 3D printing without stitching. The machine learning AI has the capability of estimating everything from durability and how the final product would look like. This example gives how AI and robotics can lead to accurate and unique designs for changing customer requirements. However successful adoption of AI and robotics don’t come easily, it requires Agile leadership. Agile leadership helps in removing any obstacles to prevent team members from working effectively and allows the adoption of new technologies into business processes and practices. References Betterworks. (2021, October 11). What Is Agile Leadership, and Why Does It Matter? Retrieved from betterworks: https://www.betterworks.com/magazine/what-is-agile-leadership-and-why- does-it-matter/ Editors, B. C. (2022, March 15). Is Under Armour Ethical? Retrieved from Bobcut: https://bobcutmag.com/2022/03/15/is-under-armour-ethical/ McDonald, S. (2020, February 11). Under Armour Just Can’t Seem to Get It Together — These Are the Hurdles It’s Facing Now . Retrieved from Footwear News: https://footwearnews.com/2020/business/earnings/under-armour-north-america- restructuring-coronavirus-1202923791/ Mirabella, L. (2019, November 19). Under Armour defends accounting practices amid federal probes and media reports . Retrieved from The Baltimore Sun: https://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-under-armour-defends-accounting- practices-20191115-es77i44wvjea7ozcsg3tq3m6ku-story.html

Brunke, L., Greeff, M., Hall, A. W., Yuan, Z., Zhou, S., Panerati, J., & Schoellig, A. P. (2022). Safe Learning in Robotics: From Learning-Based Control to Safe Reinforcement Learning. Annual Review of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems , 5 (1), 411-444. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-control-042920-020211 Chen, C., & Li, D. (2021). Research on the Detection and Tracking Algorithm of Moving Object in Image Based on Computer Vision Technology. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing , 2021 , 1127017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/1127017 Delgado, J. M. D., Oyedele, L., Ajayi, A., Akanbi, L., Akinade, O., Bilal, M., & Owolabi, H. (2019). Robotics and automated systems in construction: Understanding industry-specific challenges for adoption. Journal of Building Engineering , 26 , 100868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100868 Hofmann, P. (2020). Robotic process automation. Electronic Markets , 30 (1), 99-106. https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/8578451852 Honig, S., & Oron-Gilad, T. (2018). Understanding and Resolving Failures in Human-Robot Interaction: Literature Review and Model Development. Front Psychol , 9 , 861. Jin, T., Sun, Z., Li, L., Zhang, Q., Zhu, M., Zhang, Z., . . . Lee, C. (2020). Triboelectric nanogenerator sensors for soft robotics aiming at digital twin applications. Nature Communications , 11 (1), 5381. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19059-3 Kasim, T., Haracic, M., & Haracic, M. (2018). The improvement of business efficiency through business process management. Economic Review: Journal of Economics and Business , 16 (1), 31-43. https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/193881/1/econ-review-v16-i1-p031- 043.pdf Pagano, S., Russo, R., & Savino, S. (2020). A vision guided robotic system for flexible gluing process in the footwear industry. Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing , 65 . https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/8615682398 Appendices:

Team Contract: Introduction Professional Business Practice relies on teams to work independently to achieve goals and objectives for the business. This relies on teams being clear on what is expected of participants as well as when and how it will be delivered. You will use progress reports to track the project (you can use other tools but the progress report will be compulsory). The purpose of this team contract is to ensure that all team members are clear on what is expected of them for this assignment and to support the effective and successful working of the group to produce a high-quality report at the end of their group project. The group assignment is a substantial project and cannot be completed without all students in the group collaborating and working as a team. 1. It is expected that all students share ideas, points of view and do a fair and equitable allocation of the work required to complete the group project and report. 2. For the assignment to have a consistent strategy and have coherent continuity the team will need to work together over the course of the project to ensure that they produce a high-quality and well aligned report. Working independently and in silos and ‘stitching’ badly connected ideas together at the end does not achieve the same quality outcome. 3. The team contract must be completed, signed, and dated and the group must submit the completed group contract at the end of Week 6 at the start of the group project. 4. The team contract must also be attached to your group report as an appendix with any updates you may have made to the con- tract over the duration of your project. Team member’s contact details The team will need to be able to contact each other throughout the course of this project. For this, you may wish to set up a WhatsApp chat group, a WeChat group or any other channels. This section needs to be completed immediately, in class, so that you have a means to contact each other. Name Phone contact Email/WeChat/Facebook/ WhatsApp Dinesh Mullapudi +61 416745621 WhatsApp Balraj Mamidi +61 432794843 WhatsApp Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani +61 450336112 WhatsApp Arun Kumar Anand Kumar +61 435144226 WhatsApp Ground-rules for meetings and communication The team will need to agree appropriate ways of contacting each other, turnaround times on communications and times when they may not be available need to be advised to the team. Mutual respect is key to building a good team spirit and this may influence your ground rules e.g. No calls after 10pm. Ground rules: 1. All the team members should attend every meeting on time. 2. Messages should be sent or replied in WhatsApp group whenever information is required. 3. Team should work on their respective tasks and complete them on time. 4. Respect everyone’s ideas in the team. 5. Should communicate in a professional manner.

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Team goals It is also vital for the team to know what each team member wants to achieve from the project. One of the most common causes of conflict is when everybody assumes that they all want to same outcome on a project. Understandably, no one would ever say that they do not want a High Distinction. However not everybody has the same access to resources such as time and transport, and not everybody can make the same commitment to a project owing to different pressures in their schedule and there may be a need to set realistically achievable goals. It is good to understand each team member’s different expectations and then to draft team goals through consensus. What does your team want to achieve, in order of priority? (To be completed by team) 1 . All the team members should set a goal to meet assessment deadlines 2 . Every member in the team should take responsibility to work towards the assessment progression. 3 . All the team members should take responsibility to review each other’s work. Agreed time commitment per team member to project (hours per week): _________5hrs_________________ What will your role be? Suggested roles include: Project Master, Document Owner, Business Analyst, Research Analyst (To be completed by team) Name Role Balraj Mamidi Team Manager/Business Analyst Dinesh Mullapudi Business Analyst Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Business Analyst Arun Kumar Anand Kumar Business Analyst

Meeting Schedule It is recommended that the team has, as a minimum, weekly meeting to remain on track. These may be in the same physical location or using group call or shared platforms. From a timing perspective it is best to have this meeting at a time where you can prepare for your scrum and make the most up to date edits to your scrum board. Expectations: a. Attendance is expected at every meeting by every team member. b. It is strongly advised that a standing time and venue is selected on completing this contract. c. If any team member is unable to attend, they must advise the group as soon as possible to try and enable a reschedule, where possible for the other team members. d. If a team member is absent, it is their responsibility to negotiate what work they need to do to contribute to the team’s weekly goals. e. Each team member must be prepared for the meeting. f. Respect must be shown for different cultures, languages and proficiencies and learning styles. Meeting schedule (in addition to meetings in class) (To be completed by team) Week s When (date/time) Wher e Preparation required 8 03-11-2022 Online To go through assessment brief 9 08-11-2022 Online To go through case study 10 16-11-2022 Online Analyze problems and solutions of Under Armour 11 24-11-2022 Online Bring up drafts of assessment tasks Decision-making process How will decisions be made – by consensus, majority vote, leader has final say etc.? The decision will be made on the basis of majority vote by taking all the team members opinions. How will you ensure that decisions are made in a timely way? The decisions will be made ahead by contacting the team members in WhatsApp and the team meetings. Also, the deadlines will be posted regularly as a reminder. Team expectations It is good to clarify what is and is not acceptable to the group: Examples - you must document your own for your team: 1. No team member will be excluded from group activities 2. Late delivery and broken promises of delivery are not acceptable 3. All team members will contribute to discussions 4. Speak kindly, but honestly 5. Offer solutions Action to be taken by the team to address the issues listed above 1. All the meeting timings will be posted on the whatsapp group so that everyone can make time. 2. Everyone in the team will be given chance to speak and share their ideas.

Other conditions or comments It is very important that every member of your team understands the details of the team contract and agrees to the specified rules and conditions. Lecturer intervention These are times where the team may need to reach out to the lecturer for conciliation or mediation if the team cannot resolve the challenges on their own. It is worth mentioning that earlier intervention achieves better outcomes if there are challenges. In these instances, it is important to consider the following: 1. If work is not completed by a student, it may be classified as not contributing equally to the assignment. 2. The group may reach the conclusion that one or another student may have made an unequal contribution (done more, or less work than the others). In this instance, all students in the group will discuss the issue with the lecturer and it will be agreed that the student will receive a higher or lower mark than the other students in the group. Date Student name Signature Contribution % 03-11-2022 Dinesh Mullapudi Dinesh Mullapudi 100% 03-11-2022 Balraj Mamidi Balraj Mamidi 100% 03-11-2022 Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani 100% 03-11-2022 Arun Kumar Anand Kumar Arun Kumar Anand Kumar 100% Status Reports: Project Status Report – Week 8 Project title: Industry Report on Under Armour Group: Group 4 Team Manager: Balraj Mamidi Reporting period: [02-11-2022 to 06-11-2022] Completed tasks – Contacted all the team members and created a WhatsApp group to be in touch and work on assessment. Also, finished writing the Team contract and divided the tasks to start working on. Tasks in progress Task Assignee Status Going through case study and finding problems facing by Under Armour All the team members In Progress Introduction, Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani To be started Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi To be started Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi To be started

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Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar To be started Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar To be started Upcoming tasks – Introduction, Findings on Under Armour, Solutions, conclusion, Presentation slides Issues – N/A Risks – N/A Status evaluation overall status N/A All the assessment tasks are on track and are achievable within the deadline N/A All the tasks are on track. Updated Timeline Task Assignee Status Team Contract All the team members Completed Introduction, Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani To be started Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi To be started Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi To be started Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar To be started Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar To be started Project Status Report – Week 9 Project title: Industry Report on Under Armour Group: Group 4 Team Manager: Balraj Mamidi Reporting period: [07-11-2022 to 13-11-2022] Completed tasks – Completed writing the Team contract and divided the tasks to start working on. Tasks in progress Task Assignee Status Analysing the problems facing by Under Armour All the team members In progress Introduction, Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani In Progress Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi In Progress Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi In Progress

Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar In Progress Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar To be started Upcoming tasks – To prepare presentation slides for Under Armour Issues – N/A Risks – N/A Status evaluation overall status N/A All the assessment tasks are on track and are achievable within the deadline N/A All the tasks are on track. Updated Timeline Task Assignee Status Team Contract All the team members Completed Introduction Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Completed Introduction, Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani In Progress Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi In Progress Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi In Progress Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar In Progress Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar To be started Project Status Report – Week 10 Project title: Industry Report on Under Armour Group: Group 4 Team Manager: Balraj Mamidi Reporting period: [14-11-2022 to 20-11-2022] Completed tasks – finished writing the Team contract and divided the tasks to work. Completed writing Introduction. Tasks in progress Task Assignee Status Introduction Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Completed Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani In Progress Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi In Progress (Done 70 %)

Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi In Progress (Done 75 %) Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar In Progress Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar In Progress Upcoming tasks – To complete all parts of assessment by 25-11-2022 and to merge into single document for submission. Issues – N/A Risks – N/A Status evaluation overall status N/A All the assessment tasks are on track and are achievable within the deadline N/A All the tasks are on track. Updated Timeline Task Assignee Status Team Contract All the team members Completed Introduction Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Completed Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani In Progress Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi In Progress (Done 70 %) Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi In Progress (Done 75 %) Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar In Progress Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar In Progress Project Status Report – Week 11 Project title: Industry Report on Under Armour Group: Group 4 Team Manager: Balraj Mamidi Reporting period: [21-11-2022 to 27-11-2022] Completed tasks - finished writing the Team contract, Introduction, Executive summary, Under Armour findings, Solutions to under armour problems, conclusion Tasks in progress Task Assignee Status Introduction Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Completed Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Completed Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi Completed

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Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi Completed Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar Completed Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar Completed Upcoming tasks – To submit assessment before 27-11-2022 Issues – N/A Risks – N/A Status evaluation overall status N/A All the assessment tasks are on track and are achievable within the deadline N/A All the tasks are on track. Updated Timeline Task Assignee Status Team Contract All the team members Completed Introduction Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Completed Executive Summary Nevi Rajeshbhai Vachhani Completed Findings on Under Armour Balraj Mamidi Completed Solutions to Under Armour problems Dinesh Mullapudi Completed Conclusion Arun Kumar Anand Kumar Completed Presentation slide Arun Kumar Anand Kumar Completed

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