Automation (ancient Greek: = self dictated) or industrial automation or numerical control is the use of control systems such as computers to control industrial machinery and processes, replacing human operators. In the scope of industrialization, it is a step beyond mechanization. Whereas mechanization provided human operators with machinery to assist them with the physical requirements of work, automation greatly reduces the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well.

History of automation

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Early machines were simple machines that substituted one form of effort with a more humanly manageable effort, as lifting a large weight with a system of pulleys or a lever. Later machines were also able to substitute natural forms of renewable energy, such as wind, tides, or flowing water, for human energy. The sailboat replaced the paddled or oared boat. Still later, early forms of automation were driven by clock type mechanisms or similar devices using some form of artificial power source— a wound-up spring, channelled flowing water, or steam— to produce some simple, repetitive action, such as moving figures, making music, or playing games. Such early moving devices, featuring human-like figures, were known as automatons and date from perhaps 300 BC). In 1801, the patent was issued for the automated loom using punched cards. This invention by Joseph Marie Jacquard revolutionized the textile industry.

More on [ Automation ]

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