Automatic inspection as the key control element in full automation

A fully automatic process is essentially an exercise in ¿system design¿, and in the simple application of the techniques of analogue or digital computers. The feedback signals to control and stabilize the system will be originated by inspection or measuring devices, dependent on the human senses or automatic instrumentation. The characteristics of a number of classes of such systems are distinguished, as well as the special requirement of the inspection equipment, which must have a higher order of reliability than is usually associated with laboratory measuring instruments. A good visual display of the information derived, plus some degree of manual control, may often be a more economic solution than an attempt to achieve 100 per cent, automation. Transistor circuits will probably be adopted rapidly because of their inherent advantages of economy in size and power, and high reliability. Recent work in ergonomics has shown that automatic inspection can be consistently superior to human performance.