Chapter 6: Automated and emerging technologies Flashcards
Definition of automated system
A combination of software and hardware designed and programmed to work automatically without the need for any human intervention
Definition of distributed control system (DCS)
A powerful computer system programmed to monitor and control a complex process without the need for human interaction
Definition of adaptive cruise control
The use of sensors, actuators and microprocessors to ensure that a vehicle keeps a safe distance behind another vehicle
Definition of an accelerometer
A sensor that measures acceleration and deceleration and that can detect, for example, the orientation of a device
Definition of robotics
The branch of (computer) science that encompasses the design, construction and operation of robots
Definition of a robot
A mechanical device that can carry out tasks normally done by humans
Definition of autonomous
able to operate independently without any human input
Definition of a controller
a microprocessor that is in control of a process
Definition of a WebCrawler/search bot
A software robot that roams the internet scanning websites and categorising them; often used by search engines
Definition of a chatbot
a pop-up robot on a website that appears to enter into a meaningful conversation with a web user
Definition of an end-effector
an attachment to a robot arm that allows it to carry out a specific task, such as spray painting
Definition of a LiDaR
a contraction of light detection and ranging; the use of lasers to build up a 3D image of the surroundings
Definition of a drone
a flying robot that can be autonomous or operated using remote control; a drone can be used for reconnaissance or deliveries
Definition of phenotyping
the process of observing the physical characteristics of a plant to assess its health and growth
Definition of cognitive
relating to the mental processes of the human brain involved in acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experiences and input from the five senses
Definition of artificial intelligence (AI)
a collection of rules and data which gives a computer system the ability to reason, learn and adapt to external stimuli
Definition of expert system
a form of AI that has been developed to mimic a human’s knowledge and expertise
Definition of explanation system
part of an expert system which informs the user of the reasoning behind its conclusions and recommendations
Definition of inference engine
a kind of search engine used in an expert system which examines the knowledge base for information that matches the queries
Definition of inference rules
rules used by the inference engine and in expert systems to draw conclusions using IF statements
Definition of knowledge base
a repository of facts which is a collection of objects and attributes
Definition of an object
an item stored in the knowledge base
Definition of an attribute
something that defines the objects stored in a knowledge base
Definition of a rules base
a collection of inference rules used to draw conclusions
Definition of machine learning
a sub-set of AI in which algorithms are trained and learn from past experiences and examples
Definition of web scraping
a method of obtaining data from websites
What are two industrial applications of automated systems?
- A nuclear power station
- manufacture of paracetamol
What are two transport application of application systems?
- self-parking cars
