Automation

Extracted Attributes

• Definition

  A broad range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes by using machines that embody predetermined decision criteria and actions.

• Applications

  Industrial control systems, factories, boilers, heat-treating ovens, telephone networks, steering, ship/aircraft stabilization, banking, household thermostats, self-driven vehicles, warehousing robots.

• Term Coined By

  D.S. Harder

• Primary Benefits

  Labor savings, reduced waste, savings in electricity costs, savings in material costs, and improvements to quality, accuracy, and precision.

• Associated Movement

  Industry 4.0 (Fourth Industrial Revolution)

• Impact on Employment

  Can cause job displacement (e.g., self-driving cars, humanoid robots), but new industries and jobs created by technology can outweigh the economic effects of job losses (World Bank 2019 Report).

• Means of Achievement

  Mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination.

• Control Complexity Range

  From simple on-off control to multi-variable high-level algorithms.

• Political Stance (Trump Administration)

  Favored as a solution to labor needs, particularly over immigration.

Timeline

• The mathematical basis of control theory, fundamental to automation, began to develop. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1700-01-01

• Technological advancements, including feedback controllers, were introduced, significantly revolutionizing various industries. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1930-01-01

• The term 'automation' was coined in the automobile industry, attributed to D.S. Harder at Ford Motor Company. (Source: web_search_results)

  1946-01-01

• Ford Motor Company established an automation department, leading to the term's wider adoption. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1947-01-01

• Automation became a driving force in industrial advancement. (Source: Summary)

  1950-01-01

• Job losses and downward mobility blamed on automation began to be cited as factors in the resurgence of nationalist, protectionist, and populist politics in countries like the US, UK, and France. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2010-01-01

• The World Bank's World Development Report was published, providing evidence that new industries and jobs in the technology sector can outweigh the economic effects of workers displaced by automation. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2019-01-01

Automation

Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines. Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes, and ships typically use combinations of all of these techniques. The benefit of automation includes labor savings, reducing waste, savings in electricity costs, savings in material costs, and improvements to quality, accuracy, and precision. Automation includes the use of various equipment and control systems such as machinery, processes in factories, boilers, and heat-treating ovens, switching on telephone networks, steering, stabilization of ships, aircraft and other applications and vehicles with reduced human intervention. Examples range from a household thermostat controlling a boiler to a large industrial control system with tens of thousands of input measurements and output control signals. Automation has also found a home in the banking industry. It can range from simple on-off control to multi-variable high-level algorithms in terms of control complexity. In the simplest type of an automatic control loop, a controller compares a measured value of a process with a desired set value and processes the resulting error signal to change some input to the process, in such a way that the process stays at its set point despite disturbances. This closed-loop control is an application of negative feedback to a system. The mathematical basis of control theory was begun in the 18th century and advanced rapidly in the 20th. The term automation, inspired by the earlier word automatic (coming from automaton), was not widely used before 1947, when Ford established an automation department. It was during this time that the industry was rapidly adopting feedback controllers, Technological advancements introduced in the 1930s revolutionized various industries significantly. The World Bank's World Development Report of 2019 shows evidence that the new industries and jobs in the technology sector outweigh the economic effects of workers being displaced by automation. Job losses and downward mobility blamed on automation have been cited as one of many factors in the resurgence of nationalist, protectionist and populist politics in the US, UK and France, among other countries since the 2010s.

Web Search Results

• Automation - Wikipedia

  Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines.( Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes, and ships typically use [...] Automation includes the use of various equipment and control systems such as machinery, processes in factories, boilers,( and heat-treating ovens, switching on telephone networks, steering, stabilization of ships "Stabilizer (ship)"), aircraft and other applications and vehicles with reduced human intervention.( Examples range from a household thermostat controlling a boiler to a large industrial control system with tens of thousands of input measurements and output control signals. Automation [...] Automation primarily describes machines replacing human action, but it is also loosely associated with mechanization, machines replacing human labor. Coupled with mechanization, extending human capabilities in terms of size, strength, speed, endurance, visual range & acuity, hearing frequency & precision, electromagnetic sensing & effecting, etc., advantages include:(

• What Is Automation? Definition, Types, Benefits, and Importance

  Automation refers to using technology to perform tasks with minimal human intervention. It’s like having a robot or a computer take care of repetitive or complex activities that humans have traditionally carried out. This technology-driven approach aims to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and reduce human error. [...] What Is Automation? Definition, Types, Benefits, and Importance Automation is the use of machines or technology to perform tasks without much human intervention. The approach tries to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and reduce human error. Learn more about automation from this article. Table of Contents What Is Automation? [...] At its core, automation involves using various tools and systems to execute tasks without continuous manual input. Imagine a scenario in a manufacturing plant where robots assemble parts on an assembly line. These robots are programmed to perform specific actions, such as welding or tightening bolts, without needing constant human oversight. This type of automation not only speeds up the production process but also ensures precision and consistency in the final product.

• 6 Types of Automation: Benefits, Pros/Cons, Examples

  Automation is a term for technology and innovation applications where physical human input is minimized. This may include IT automation, business process automation (BPA), industrial robotics, and personal applications like home automation. Image 2: A Bastian robotic palletizer placing boxes on a pallet Automation is the process of minimizing manual labor using machines [...] Automation includes using various equipment and control systems such as factory processes, machinery, boilers, heat-treating ovens, steering, etc. Examples of automation range from a household thermostat to a large industrial control system, self-driven vehicles, and warehousing robots. [...] Automation is the creation and application of technology and systems to monitor and control the production, delivery, and service of products and services. Overall, automation is used to streamline production/manufacturing workflow, monitoring, and control to limit human involvement, reduce errors, improve accuracy, increase the production rate, and save costs. ### What Are the Benefits of Industrial Automation?

• Automation | Technology, Types, Rise, History, & Examples

  In general usage, automation can be defined as a technology concerned with performing a process by means of programmed commands combined with automatic feedback control to ensure proper execution of the instructions. The resulting system is capable of operating without human intervention. The development of this technology has become increasingly dependent on the use of computers and computer-related technologies. Consequently, automated systems have become increasingly sophisticated and [...] automation, application of machines to tasks once performed by human beings or, increasingly, to tasks that would otherwise be impossible. Although the term mechanization is often used to refer to the simple replacement of human labour by machines, automation generally implies the integration of machines into a self-governing system. Automation has revolutionized those areas in which it has been introduced, and there is scarcely an aspect of modern life that has been unaffected by it. [...] The term automation was coined in the automobile industry about 1946 to describe the increased use of automatic devices and controls in mechanized production lines. The origin of the word is attributed to D.S. Harder, an engineering manager at the Ford Motor Company at the time. The term is used widely in a manufacturing context, but it is also applied outside manufacturing in connection with a variety of systems in which there is a significant substitution of mechanical, electrical, or

• 6 Types of Automation: A Comprehensive Guide for Engineers

  Automation is a key part of what is heralded as “Industry 4.0”, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Through a combination of smart machines, control systems, and automation tools, manufacturing operations are able to function more independently, with various steps in the process communicating with each other and process data informing computer system decisions in real-time. [...] Automation has revolutionized the engineering landscape, transforming industries and redefining the boundaries of efficiency and productivity. At its core, automation involves the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce human intervention in processes, enhancing precision, speed, and reliability. Arguably, automation spans a wide spectrum of applications in healthcare, transportation, security, agriculture, and many other sectors. Moreover, it involves several aspects [...] At its core, automation is about improving productivity and reducing the need for human labor. And it has been evolving for millenia. Thousands of years ago, water and wind mills freed people up from the labor intensive and time-consuming task of hand pounding wheat and grain. Today, the most advanced automated solutions are enabling entire production chains to go ahead without supervision. We covered a lot about automation in this article, if you’re looking for a quick summary, here it is:

• Instance Of

  Q4167410

Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines. Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes, and ships typically use combinations of all of these techniques. The benefit of automation includes labor savings, reducing waste, savings in electricity costs, savings in material costs, and improvements to quality, accuracy, and precision. Automation includes the use of various equipment and control systems such as machinery, processes in factories, boilers, and heat-treating ovens, switching on telephone networks, steering, and stabilization of ships, aircraft, and other applications and vehicles with reduced human intervention. Examples range from a household thermostat controlling a boiler to a large industrial control system with tens of thousands of input measurements and output control signals. Automation has also found space in the banking sector. In control complexity, it can range from simple on-off control to multi-variable high-level algorithms. In the simplest type of an automatic control loop, a controller compares a measured value of a process with a desired set value and processes the resulting error signal to change some input to the process, in such a way that the process stays at its set point despite disturbances. This closed-loop control is an application of negative feedback to a system. The mathematical basis of control theory was begun in the 18th century and advanced rapidly in the 20th. The term automation, inspired by the earlier word automatic (coming from automaton), was not widely used before 1947, when Ford established an automation department. It was during this time that industry was rapidly adopting feedback controllers, which were introduced in the 1930s. The World Bank's World Development Report of 2019 shows evidence that the new industries and jobs in the technology sector outweigh the economic effects of workers being displaced by automation. Job losses and downward mobility blamed on automation have been cited as one of many factors in the resurgence of nationalist, protectionist and populist politics in the US, UK and France, among other countries since the 2010s.