Automation
Technologies that reduce human intervention in processes via feedback control.
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, and embodying those predeterminations in machines. It has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. The term automation, inspired by the earlier word automatic (coming from automaton), was not widely used before 1947, when Ford established an automation department. Automation has been central to industrial development, from early feedback-controlled mechanisms like Ctesibius's float regulator to modern digital control systems.
- field
- Engineering, Control Theory, Industrial Technology
- known_for
- Reducing human intervention in processes through feedback control and automated machinery
- earliest_known_example
- Float regulator for a water clock by Ctesibius (c. 270 BC)
- term_first_widely_used
- 1947 (Ford automation department)
- key_early_contributors
- Banū Mūsā brothers (850 AD), Christiaan Huygens (17th century), James Watt (1788)
Lore & Background
The history of automation begins with early feedback mechanisms. In Ptolemaic Egypt around 270 BC, Ctesibius described a float regulator for a water clock, the earliest known feedback-controlled mechanism. The Persian Banū Mūsā brothers, in their Book of Ingenious Devices (850 AD), described automatic controls including two-step level controls and a feedback controller. The centrifugal governor, invented by Christiaan Huygens in the 17th century, was later adopted by James Watt for steam engines in 1788, though it could not hold a set speed and caused oscillations.
During the Industrial Revolution, automatic control systems became essential for prime movers. Temperature regulators (1624), pressure regulators (1681), float regulators (1700), and speed control devices were developed. In 1771 Richard Arkwright invented the first fully automated spinning mill, and Oliver Evans developed an automatic flour mill in 1785. The 20th century saw rapid advances: relay logic from 1900–1920s, electronic amplifiers in the 1920s, and controllers making calculated changes in the 1930s. Irmgard Flügge-Lotz developed discontinuous automatic controls theory in the 1940s–1950s, used in military fire control and aircraft navigation.
Digital control emerged in the late 1950s with solid-state logic modules, and in 1959 Texaco's Port Arthur Refinery became the first chemical plant to use digital control. Conversion to digital control spread rapidly in the 1970s as computer hardware prices fell.
Reader's Guide
Automation's significance lies in its transformative impact on industry, communication, and transportation. From the earliest water clock regulators to modern digital control systems, automation has enabled labor savings, reduced waste, and improvements in quality, accuracy, and precision. The mathematical basis of control theory began in the 18th century and advanced rapidly in the 20th, with key contributions from figures like James Clerk Maxwell and Irmgard Flügge-Lotz. Automation encompasses a wide range of applications: household thermostats, factory processes, telephone networks, ship steering, and aircraft stabilization. The World Bank's World Development Report of 2019 shows that new industries and jobs in the technology sector outweigh the economic effects of workers being displaced by automation. However, job losses and downward mobility blamed on automation have been cited as factors in the resurgence of nationalist, protectionist, and populist politics in the US, UK, and France since the 2010s. Automation continues to evolve, with programmable logic controllers emerging in the late 1950s and digital control becoming widespread from the 1970s onward.
Did You Know?
- The earliest feedback-controlled mechanism was a float regulator for a water clock described by Ctesibius around 270 BC.
- The term 'automation' was not widely used before 1947, when Ford established an automation department.
- In 1959, Texaco's Port Arthur Refinery became the first chemical plant to use digital control.
- The World Bank's 2019 World Development Report shows that new industries and jobs in the technology sector outweigh the economic effects of workers displaced by automation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Automation in the context of engineering and industrial technology?
Automation refers to a broad set of technologies that minimize the need for direct human input in a process by encoding decision rules and action sequences into machines. It typically combines mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic, and computational components to carry out tasks through feedback control.
When did the word 'automation' enter common usage?
Although the concept is far older, the specific term was not widely adopted until 1947, when Ford Motor Company created a dedicated automation department. The word itself derives from the earlier 'automatic,' which in turn traces back to 'automaton.'
What is the earliest known example of an automated device?
The oldest documented instance is a float regulator built into a water clock by the Greek engineer Ctesibius around 270 BC. This mechanism used a feedback loop to keep the water level—and thus the clock's rate—constant without continuous human adjustment.
Who are the key historical figures credited with advancing automation?
The Banū Mūsā brothers (circa 850 AD) designed early programmable mechanical devices, Christiaan Huygens contributed to automatic clock regulation in the 17th century, and James Watt introduced the centrifugal governor in 1788 to regulate steam-engine speed. Each milestone pushed the boundary of how much a machine could self-correct without operator input.
Why is automation considered central to industrial development?
By predetermining subprocess relationships and decision criteria, automation lets factories and systems run continuously with far fewer operators, boosting consistency, throughput, and safety. It became a foundational pillar of modern industrial technology precisely because it decouples process execution from moment-to-moment human judgment.
More in Miscellaneous 1-24
Elsewhere in the Miscellaneous universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record