Automated Systems
Automated and Emerging Technologies
An automated system is a computer-controlled system that collects data from its environment and takes action on its own based on that data, without needing constant human input.
The defining feature of an automated system is that it decides for itself what to do. The decisions are made by a following pre-programmed rules; the system runs in a continuous loop, reading sensors and driving outputs.
Exam tip
Defining an automated system
Asked to state what an automated system is (1 mark), give the credited idea: the system carries out its actions without human intervention. Build the sentence around that idea: naming the sensors and the microprocessor describes the parts, not what makes the system automated. The same idea earns a mark as a characteristic of an embedded system, which works automatically.
Examples you will recognise:
- A central-heating thermostat that switches the boiler on and off to keep a room at a target temperature.
- An automatic greenhouse that opens its vents when it gets too hot or starts irrigation when the soil dries out.
- A traffic-light system that adjusts its timing based on detected vehicle queues.
- Self-driving features in modern cars (adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping).
- Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) in cars.
- Robotic vacuum cleaners that map a room and clean it without human steering.
Automated systems are everywhere; this topic is about what is inside them.