Chapter 6: Automated and emerging technologies

Question 1

Definition of automated system

Answer 1

A combination of software and hardware designed and programmed to work automatically without the need for any human intervention

Question 2

Definition of distributed control system (DCS)

Answer 2

A powerful computer system programmed to monitor and control a complex process without the need for human interaction

Question 3

Definition of adaptive cruise control

Answer 3

The use of sensors, actuators and microprocessors to ensure that a vehicle keeps a safe distance behind another vehicle

Question 4

Definition of an accelerometer

Answer 4

A sensor that measures acceleration and deceleration and that can detect, for example, the orientation of a device

Question 5

Definition of robotics

Answer 5

The branch of (computer) science that encompasses the design, construction and operation of robots

Question 6

Definition of a robot

Answer 6

A mechanical device that can carry out tasks normally done by humans

Question 7

Definition of autonomous

Answer 7

able to operate independently without any human input

Question 8

Definition of a controller

Answer 8

a microprocessor that is in control of a process

Question 9

Definition of a WebCrawler/search bot

Answer 9

A software robot that roams the internet scanning websites and categorising them; often used by search engines

Question 10

Definition of a chatbot

Answer 10

a pop-up robot on a website that appears to enter into a meaningful conversation with a web user

Question 11

Definition of an end-effector

Answer 11

an attachment to a robot arm that allows it to carry out a specific task, such as spray painting

Question 12

Definition of a LiDaR

Answer 12

a contraction of light detection and ranging; the use of lasers to build up a 3D image of the surroundings

Question 13

Definition of a drone

Answer 13

a flying robot that can be autonomous or operated using remote control; a drone can be used for reconnaissance or deliveries

Question 14

Definition of phenotyping

Answer 14

the process of observing the physical characteristics of a plant to assess its health and growth

Question 15

Definition of cognitive

Answer 15

relating to the mental processes of the human brain involved in acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experiences and input from the five senses

Question 16

Definition of artificial intelligence (AI)

Answer 16

a collection of rules and data which gives a computer system the ability to reason, learn and adapt to external stimuli

Question 17

Definition of expert system

Answer 17

a form of AI that has been developed to mimic a human’s knowledge and expertise

Question 18

Definition of explanation system

Answer 18

part of an expert system which informs the user of the reasoning behind its conclusions and recommendations

Question 19

Definition of inference engine

Answer 19

a kind of search engine used in an expert system which examines the knowledge base for information that matches the queries

Question 20

Definition of inference rules

Answer 20

rules used by the inference engine and in expert systems to draw conclusions using IF statements

Question 21

Definition of knowledge base

Answer 21

a repository of facts which is a collection of objects and attributes

Question 22

Definition of an object

Answer 22

an item stored in the knowledge base

Question 23

Definition of an attribute

Answer 23

something that defines the objects stored in a knowledge base

Question 24

Definition of a rules base

Answer 24

a collection of inference rules used to draw conclusions

Question 25

Definition of machine learning

Answer 25

a sub-set of AI in which algorithms are trained and learn from past experiences and examples

Question 26

Definition of web scraping

Answer 26

a method of obtaining data from websites

Question 27

What are two industrial applications of automated systems?

Answer 27

• A nuclear power station
• manufacture of paracetamol

Question 28

What are two transport application of application systems?

Answer 28

• self-parking cars