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The surging path of the automation wave

Publication Time:

2024-01-31

In our daily lives, automation has long been ubiquitous—from large-scale applications such as the control of spaceships and rail transit signals, and self-driving cars, to smaller-scale examples such as automated light switches, refrigerator temperature control systems, and washing machine timer functions. These things, which we now take for granted, are all thanks to automation technology.

In our lives, automation has long been ubiquitous—from large-scale applications such as the control of spacecraft, rail transit signals, and self-driving cars, to smaller applications such as automated light switches, refrigerator temperature control systems, and washing machine timer functions. These things, which we have long taken for granted, are actually the result of automation technology.

Automation refers to the use of various machines, equipment, and software to automatically control various aspects of production, completing tasks that humans need to accomplish. Since its inception, automation has gradually helped liberate humankind from harsh and dangerous environments, significantly improving labor productivity and enhancing our ability to understand and change the world.

The term "automation" was first proposed in 1946 by American Ford engineer, Harder. At that time, automatic control devices in industrial production were rapidly improving, especially as computing technology permeated production equipment, and mechanization was gradually advancing to a higher stage. Harder used automation to describe the automatic conveying and processing of engine cylinders, and the concept of automation naturally emerged.

Technological innovations in automation are far-reaching, and the most concentrated manifestation is robots.

Robotics, as a very important branch of automation, refers to the use of robotic components such as mechanical arms, sensors, and controllers to achieve human-computer interaction, autonomous movement, environmental perception, and other functions to complete various complex tasks.

As early as 1920, Czech writer Karel Čapek proposed the concept of robots in his science fiction novel, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). Although robots were merely the author's imagination at the time, they had a significant 'signpost' effect on future technological development.

In 1948, American mathematician Norbert Wiener published the book Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, founding the field of cybernetics. His cybernetic ideas revealed the common laws governing machine communication, control functions, and human nervous and sensory functions, providing a completely new approach to robot research and development.

It wasn't until 1959 that the world's first programmable robot, "Unimate," was created by American inventor George Devol. "Unimate," equipped with a mechanical hand, could perform different tasks according to different programs and is considered a landmark in the era of industrial robots. A year later, Devol collaborated with another American inventor to establish the world's first robot manufacturing company, beginning to provide industrial robot products to users, thus ushering in the era of robot industrialization and triggering a surge in robot research and development.

"Able to create an abstract model of the surrounding environment, if there is a problem, it can find a solution from the abstract model." In 1959, based on the views of computer expert Marvin Minsky on intelligent machines, George Devol and American inventor Joseph Engelberger jointly created the world's first industrial robot prototype, named Unimate, meaning "universal automation." This prototype used separate solid-state numerical control components and was equipped with a magnetic drum that could store information and remember 180 work steps. Subsequently, the world's first robot manufacturing plant was built, significantly improving production efficiency. George Devol was thus hailed as the "father of industrial robots."

After that, research teams from various countries also worked hard to deploy the research and manufacturing of new robots. Representative examples include Shakey, the world's first intelligent robot with visual sensors, developed by Stanford University; WABOT-1, the first full-size humanoid robot that walks on two legs, developed by Professor Ichiro Kato of Waseda University; AIBO, the dog-shaped entertainment robot launched by Sony; and Roomba, the vacuum cleaner robot developed by iRobot. Looking back at the development path of robot automation, we can see that with the research, application, and promotion of automation technology, the lifestyles and production methods of human society are undergoing amazing changes subtly.

In fact, the rise of robotics is only a snapshot of the automation wave.

By the 1970s, large-scale, complex engineering and non-engineering systems became the main focus of automation research, promoting innovation in the theories, methods, and means of automation. This ultimately gave rise to advanced automation achievements that comprehensively utilize computer, communication, systems engineering, and artificial intelligence technologies.

In today's highly prosperous manufacturing industry, automation is related to various industries vital to national economy and people's livelihood. Compared with developed countries such as the United States and Germany, China's automation industry started relatively late, but its development momentum is strong. Since the reform and opening up, China has rapidly established a relatively complete manufacturing industry chain, and after years of rapid development of industrial automation, the output value of its manufacturing industry has risen to the top globally. According to statistics, since 2010, China has been the world's largest manufacturing country for 14 consecutive years; during the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, China's industrial added value increased from 23.5 trillion yuan to 31.3 trillion yuan, with the average growth rate of high-tech manufacturing exceeding 10.4%, making China the only country in the world with a relatively complete industrial system.

Russian science fiction writer Isaac Asimov predicted that "robots will replace human labor as the main force of productivity." Currently, the application of automation is expanding from engineering to non-engineering fields, such as medical automation and economic management automation. In the future, automation will mimic human initiative to a greater extent, and factory automation, office automation, home automation, and agricultural automation may become the "four leading ladies" of future automation. (Liu Jiachen, Zhou Xintao)