Automation
Automation is an engineering discipline based on the pillars of pure and applied sciences, integrating closely related technologies such as electronics, computing, mechanics, and even, due to its influence on people, occasionally touching areas like medicine or sociology.
What is automation?
From everyday household activities to the most advanced technological or scientific developments, and even artistic endeavors, automation is continuously used.
An automatic washing machine replaces us in deciding when to switch from washing to rinsing and saves us from opening or closing taps, drains, or scrubbing clothes.
Modern cinematography often uses aerial vehicles (sometimes called 'drones') equipped with cameras to capture images or sequences from challenging locations. Stabilizing these aircraft would not be possible without an automatic flight control system that constantly measures their 'tilt' (attitude) and adjusts the speed of their propellers to maintain balance.
Where is automation used?
Automation is often described as an invisible science that surrounds us. We have gradually incorporated automated systems into our lives to the point where we hardly notice them, and new automatic systems barely catch our attention.
Below, we review some of these systems, some easily visible in our daily activities and others working continuously behind the scenes to enable our way of life.