Automaati

Automaati refers to the use of technology to perform tasks and operate equipment with minimal human intervention. It encompasses systems that monitor, control, and execute processes through sensors, controllers, actuators, and software. Automation is used across industries to increase efficiency, accuracy, safety, and consistency, as well as to enable round-the-clock operation.

Forms include industrial automation (assembly lines, process control), building automation (HVAC, lighting), software automation (test automation, data processing, workflows), and consumer automation (smart home devices).

Key technologies include sensors, actuators, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), distributed control systems (DCS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), robotics, computer numerical control (CNC), and increasingly artificial intelligence and machine learning for decision making. Automation often relies on feedback control theory and control loops.

Historical context: automation has roots in mechanization and the industrial revolution; it evolved with the introduction of PLCs in the 1960s, then robotics and digital control; more recently, AI and cloud-based automation expand capabilities. Impacts include productivity gains, safety improvements, and debates over job displacement, as well as concerns about cybersecurity, reliability, and interoperability.