According to Wikipedia automation is the use of control systems with other applications of information technology, to control industrial machinery and processes, reducing the need for human intervention.
The first demonstration of automation took place in 1908 when Henry Ford invented the first assembly line. He took the flow of work and put it in a order that could be timed out perfectly to flow from worker to worker. This process rapidly evolved from 1908-1913 and automation had became the standard of mass production. Automation in the beginning was mostly all about boosting up production. These days automation still plays a significant role in boosting up production but now the main focus is divided among a number of different goals. Like increasing flexibility in the assembly line function, while reducing costs, and increasing quality.
Automation has changed everything around us from the cars we drive to the cloths we wear. It is definitely responsible for increasing the quality of life in America. It helps create jobs but it also can take jobs away from people. As we saw in lecture about the decline in the farming community. Some things are made better by the skill of a human then ever could be replicated with a machine. The need for skilled workers and people with professional skilled trades will always exist. Along with the need to evolve the process of automation in order to better provide a quality of life for everyone.
