Automated and Emerging Technologies

• An automated system is a combination of hardware and software that is designed and programmed to work automatically without the need for human intervention
• Advantages of automated system:

  • Faster than humans
  • Safer if it is part of hazardous system
  • More likely to run under optimum conditions
  • Less expensive
  • More energy efficient
  • Can be more effective
  • May increase overall productivity
  • Results are more consistent
• Disadvantages of automated system

  • Often expensive to set up and purchase
  • There is always possibility for unexpected conditions to occur
  • Constant fear of cyberattacks
  • Need enhanced maintenance to operate correctly (expensive)
• Robotics is a branch of computer science that incorporates design, construction and operation of robots
• Characteristics of robots

  1. Ability to sense their surroundings
  2. Have a degree of movement
  3. Must be programmable
• Independent robots

  • Have no direct human control
  • Can replace human activity
• Dependent robots

  • Have human interfacing with robot
  • Can supplement rather than replace humans
• Advantages of robots

  • Capable of working in hazardous conditions
  • Can work all the time
  • More productive
  • Less expensive in long run
  • Better suited to boring repetitive work
• Disadvantages of robots:

  • Robots can find it difficult to do non-standard tasks
  • Lead to higher unemployment
  • Risk of deskilling
  • Expensive to buy and set up
• Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent human behavior by a computer
• Narrow AI: When a machine has superior performance to a human when doing one specific task

  General AI: When a machine is similar in its performance to a human doing a specific task

  Strong AI: When a machine has superior performance to a human in many tasks
• Two categories of Artificial Intelligence:

  1. Expert systems
  2. Machine learning
• An expert system is a form of AI developed to mimic human knowledge and experience. They use knowledge and inference to solve problems
• An expert system contains:

  • Knowledge base
  • User interface
  • Explanation system
  • Inference engine
  • Rules base
• User interface:

  Method by which expert system interacts with a user, using dialogue boxes and command prompts
• Inference engine:

  • Brain of expert system
  • Refers to knowledge from knowledge base and selects facts and rules related to question
  • Provides reasoning about the information in knowledge base
  • helps in deduction of the problem and forms conclusions
• Knowledge base:

  • Repository of facts
  • Stores all knowledge about a given subject
  • A collection of objects and attributes
• Explanation System

  • Informs user how the expert system arrived at its conclusion
• Rules base:

  A set of inference rules, which are used by the inference engine to draw conclusions
• Advantages of expert systems:

  • High level of expertise and very accurate
  • Consistent results
  • Store vast amounts of information
  • Fast response time
  • Can work without getting fatigued
• Disadvantages of expert system:

  • Users need training to operate
  • Set up and maintenance is costly and time-consuming
  • Users may believe system is infallible
• Machine learning:

  Where algorithms are trained and learn from past experiences. They can offer fast and accurate outcomes due to powerful processing capabilities