Automation: The Multifaceted Technology Overview

Automation, possibly more aptly termed automation engineering, is a design engineering philosophy that is directed toward enhancing the automatic nature (sometimes called automaticity) of a machine, process, or other type of work system1. The objective of automation is to cause the work system to be as automatic, that is, self-acting, self-regulating, and self-reliant, as may be possible—but against the practical backdrop of various economic, environmental, social, and other restraints. Because of these restraints, the work systems are only partially automated.