Automation
Machine Information Systems
The term automation could've well have been (An earlier (circa 1838) term was automatism, which was conveyed as "quality of being automatic" in the classical sense) He used the word to describe a collection of automated systems using feedback, with the use of which there was a marked substitution of mechanical, electrical and/or computerized operations for human input, know how and monitoring. Within the general usage therms, it can be defined as a technology concerned with performing a process by means of programmed commands, combined with automatic feedback control (see control system) to ensure proper execution of the instructions. The resulting system is capable of operating without human intervention. The process of having a machine or machines accomplish tasks hitherto performed wholly or partly by humans. As used here, a machine refers to any inanimate electromechanical device such as a robot or computer. As a technology, automation can be applied to almost any human endeavor, from manufacturing to clerical and administrative tasks. An example of automation is the heating and air-conditioning system in the modern household. After setting up the initial time control programming normally by the house owner (the end user), these systems keep the house at a constant desired temperature irrespective of the weather conditions outside. The fundamental (or core) components that make up any automated process consist of a power source, some type of feedback control mechanism and a programmable command structure. Programmability does not necessarily imply an electronic computer. It may mean just an electric or even physical type of feedback. As an example, the inventor of Loom, Jacquard Loom, at the beginning of the nineteenth century developed a control system using metal plates with a pattern of holes to control the weaving process. Even so, World War II and the subsequent advances made in electronics, computation and feedback then and since have certainly played a major part in contributing to the snowballing growth of automation. While feedback is usually associated with more advanced forms of automation, so-called open-loop automated tasks are possible. Here, the automated process proceeds without any direct and continuous assessment of the effect of the automated activity. For example, an automated car wash typically completes its task with no continuous or final assessment of the cleanliness of the automobile.
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