milan101

Automation?

: the use of technology to replace human efforts to perform repeated and sensitive tasks.

Human beings are good at different things. No wonder we rule the earth (or so we think!!) Making decisions based on the number of different inputs like whether to run and climb a tree or smile and ruffle the fur when an animal approaches by deciding whether the animal is a vicious wolf or a cuddly dog takes a large amount of visual and auditory data. And so does eating a potato by digging potato plant instead of a rock based on texture, the memory of farming, knowledge of food, etc. Human beings are really good at using multiple inputs, recognizing sound and image patterns, making decisions based on prior experiences and using higher level traits like empathy and sustainable decisions.

However, there are a few things where we could use a little help with. Human brains are fast but not as fast as a computer to do mathematical calculations. So when we need something to be calculated really really fast and we know how to do it we can ask a computer to follow the procedure and get reliable results at high speed. Similarly, humans get bored with repetitive tasks which can cause concentration lapses and accidents. Machines, on the other hand, can work as long as they are powered and their heat sinks and lubricating systems are working.

There are other cases where machines can outperform humans and in those cases, automation can save lives or help us make more money. In cars, a decision like deploying airbags in a split second after an accident is beyond human’s ability. Or in factories, automatic machines can check hundreds of cans of coke per minute to see if they have the right amount of liquid in it and knock them off of the conveyor to make sure we get enough sugar. In places where fast decisions are made based on a large amount of repetitive data, automation can take over.

Automation helps us make our lives easier. For example, a washing machine would automatically go from soaking clothes, to pouring detergent, spinning, rinsing and sometimes drying the clothes with a push of a button. Backing up your phone and computer data to the cloud on its own will save you on the big day from frantically putting together a presentation you had worked on for weeks if you accidentally left your bag on a taxi or your computer decided to crash and not restart.

We may not have realized yet but automation is everywhere: from the self-opening doors in grocery stores to the autopilot that can fly an aircraft from take off to landing. This has several complex effects on our industries, our ways of life, security, economy, and our future. Several jobs will be lost, several more will be created, life becomes easier, people become heavily reliant on technology, unforeseen war tactics will be used because of this shift in our way of life.

Automation makes lives easier but we still need humans for looking over the computers to see if they are hatching a plan to take over the planet or just in case they fail. But we are on the cusp of change in the way we use automation and we should all be excited about the future.