0478 Computer Science Notes 2023 – 2025 Examination

Chapter 6: Automated and emerging technologies

6.1 Automated Systems

An automated system is a combination of software and hardware (e.g sensors,
microprocessors and actuators) that is designed and programmed to work
automatically without the need of any human intervention.
1. Industrial Applications.
Example 1: Nuclear Power Station.

• Data from a number of sensors is sent to DCS (computer)

• Analogue data from sensor is converted to digital using Analogue to Digital
Converter.
• The DCS will have access to a large database containing operational data
parameters.
• If any action needs to be taken, then signals will be sent to the appropriate
actuators to operate pump valves or even an emergency shutdown system.
• While the process is fully automatic, the supervisor can still override the DCS and
shutdown the process.
NB: A human operator (the supervisor) will sit in a remote-control room where a
schematic of processes will show on a large screen.

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Example 2: The manufacture of paracetamol.

Process 1 is the manufacture of the paracetamol and Process 2 is the making of solid
tablets.
• Both processes are monitored by a number of sensors that send their data back to
a central computer.
• The computer consults its database to ensure both processes are operating within
correct parameters.
• Any necessary action is taken by the computer, sending signals to the appropriate
actuator to operate pumps, valves, heaters, stirrers or pistons to ensure both
processes can operate without any human intervention.
• While the process is fully automatic, the supervisor can still override the central
computer system if necessary.

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NB: A human operator (the supervisor) will sit in a remote-control room

2. Transport System
• Modern trains will use an automatic signal control system. If the diver of the train
goes through a red (stop) light, then the computer will automatically stop the train.
• This will make use of sensors at the side of the track sending signals to the on-
board computer; actuators will be used to apply the brakes.
• Airplanes use automatic pilots, which control the wing flaps, throttle and rudder to
maintain the correct height, speed and direction.

Example 3: Self-parking cars

• The driver goes along the row of parked cars.

• On-board sensors and cameras gauge the size of any packing spaces and the on-
board computer warns the driver if a suitable space has been found.
• The driver then selects auto-parking and the on-board computer takes over.
• Actuators are used to operate the steering rack, brakes and throttle under the full
control of the computer.
• The car parks with no driver intervention.

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Example 4: Adaptive cruise control

Adaptive crise control makes use of sensors, an on-board computer and

actuators to allow a car to remain a safe distance from another vehicle.
• The driver will set a cruising speed e.g 100km/h on his touch screen in the car.
• Lasers (set into the bumpers of the car) are used to send signals constantly.
• The laser bound off the vehicle in front of the car and reflected back to the car’s
sensors.
• The time taken for the signal to bounce back is used by the on-board computer
to calculate the distance between the two vehicles.
• If the car is getting too close on the vehicle in front, the computer will signal to
slow the car down. This is done by actuators applying the brakes and/ or
reducing the throttle.
• If the distance between vehicles is greater than the safe distance, the computer
will check to see if the current speed equals the value set by the driver. If speed
is different to the set speed, the computer sends signals to the actuators to
increase or decrease the throttle.

3. Weather (stations).
• Automated weather stations require a microprocessor, storage (database,
battery (usually with solar-power charging) and range of sensors.
• The data from sensors is all sent to a microprocessor; any calculations are then
done (e.g wind direction, actual rainfall).
• The data from the sensors and the calculated values are then stored on a
central database.
• The only part of the weather station that needs to use actuators is the tipping
bucket rain gauge. At pre-determined time interval, a signal is sent from
microprocessor to an actuator to operate a piston which tips a bucket that was
collecting rain water into a vessel where level sensors are then used to
measure the amount of rainfall.

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4. Agriculture.

Example 5 : Automated system used in Brazil for irrigation

• Data from an automatic weather station is received by the controller (computer

system) every ten minutes.
• Ultrasonic water level sensors are used in the crop fields that measure the
amount of water in the irrigation channels.

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• The sensors send data back via wireless transmitters.

• This data is picked up by wireless receiver, which sends the data back to the
controller.
• The controller then uses this data, together with the data from the weather
station to decide whether it is necessary to stop or to start a series of water
pumps. This is done by sending signals to actuators which operate the pumps.
• While the process is fully automatic, the supervisor can still override the central
computer system if necessary.

5. Lighting.

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6. Science.

Example 7: Chemical process in a laboratory

Automated systems in scientific research are widely used.

• The level sensor

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6.2 Robotics
Robots can be found in :-

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Characteristics of a robot:
1. Ability to sense their environment- this is done by use of a sensor.
2. Have a degree of movement.
3. Programmable – they have a “brain”, known as a controller.

NB: Software robots are not true robots.

• Physical robots can be classified as independent and dependent robots.
a) Independent robots: - have no direct human control, they are said to be
autonomous.
They can replace human activity totally.
b) Dependent robots: - they have human interfacing directly with the robot. They
can supplement, rather that totally replacing the human activity e.g in car
assembly plant, both humans and robots work together.

The role of robots and their advantages.

1. Industry
• Robots are used in industries for various activities like spray painting of car
bodies, welding bodywork on cars, manufacturing of microchips, manufacturing of
electrical goods.
• Control of robots is either through embedded (built-in) microprocessors or directly
linked to a computer system.
Different end-effectors allow the robot arm to carry out many different tasks:
i. The robot arm is guided manually by a worker when spraying the object; each
movement of the arm is stored as an instruction on the computer.
ii. Sensor may be attached at the robot arm for the robot to pick the position relative
to the object and arm rotation.

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2. Transport
Driverless vehicles are increasing in a number every year. However human don’t
have much faith in driverless car but they comfotable with autonomous trains.

a) Autonomous cars and buses.

• Autonomous cars use sensors, cameras, actuators and microprocessors.
• Sensors and cameras allow the control systems in cars to perform critical functions
by sensing the dynamic conditions on a road. They act as ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ of the
car.
• Microprocessors process the data received from cameras and sensors and send
signals to actuators to perform physical actions, such as:
i. Change gear
ii. Apply the brakes
iii. Turn the steering wheel.

Suppose an autonomous car approaches a traffic light which has turned red,
• The system needs to realise if the traffic light is green or red and then check its
database as to what action to take.
• If its red, the microprocessor must send signals to actuators to apply brakes
and put the gear into park.
• Constant monitoring must take place until the light changes to green.
• When green, the microprocessor will instruct actuators to put the car into first
gear, release the brakes and operate the accelerator.
• There is need to monitor pedestrains and other cars.

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b) Autonomous trains
• As with autonomous vehicles, trains make use of sensors, cameras, actuators
and on-board microprocessors.
• The control system in the train makes use of global positioning satellite (GPS).
• Actuators pay a huge role in controlling the train’s speed, braking and the
opening and closing of train doors.

c) Autonomous (unpiloted) airplanes

• Human pilots only take over during take-off and landing.

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• They make use of even more extensive use of sensors, actuators and
microprocessors to control all stages of the flight.
• Some of the main features of a control system on a pilotless airplain would
include:

3. Agriculture
a) Seed planting and fertilizer distribution.
• Drones (flying robots) can produce an aerial image of a farm sending back a ‘bird’s
eye view’ of the crops and land.
• This allow seed-planting to be done far more accurately.
• More efficient fertilizer-spreading is done and reduce wastage.
• Drones are also used for cloud seeding.

b) Weed control
• Weed management robots are able to distinguish a weed from a crop.
• Weed control robots use GPS tracking to stay on course to move along the rows of
crops and remove weeds. A weed removal blade is operated by an actuator under
the control of the microprocessor.
• Very often, a drone (flying robot) is used first to do an aerial view of the vineyard so
that a programmed course of action can be produced which is then sent to the
weed control robot’s memory.

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c) Phenotyping
• Phenotyping is the process of observing physical characteristics of a plant in order
to assess its health and growth.
• These robots makes use of sensors, thus allows monitoring of a crop on health and
growth.
• These robots are more accurate and faster at predicting problems than when done
manually.

d) Harvesting and picking

• Robots are more effective and faster, only picking ripe fruit.
• This will leads to higher yields and reduce waste.

e) Autonomous labour-serving device.

Some of the devices that can work independently of humans:

4. Medicine
• robots are used in surgical procedures, which makes the operation safer , quicker
and reduces costs.
• robots can be used for monitoring patients.
• disinfecting of rooms can be done by autonomous robots.
• robots can take blood samples from patients.This is safer to doctors and nurses if
the patient has an infectious disease.

5. Domestic robots

• autonomous vacuum cleaners; these use proximity sensors and cameras to avoid
bumbing into obstacles and allows them to cover a whole room automatically.
These robots have a microprocessor and actuators used to control motors for
movements forward and back.
• autonomous grass cutters (mowers), they also use sensors, microprocessors and
actuators.

6. Entertainment
• theme parks are now using autonomous robots to entertain visitors, these robots
will be dressed as cartoons.
• visual effects and animations
NB: Go and read more on this section in the book please.

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6.3 Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI)- is the branch of computer science dealing with the
simulation of intelligent human behaviour by a computer. This is often referred to as
the cognitive functions of the human brain.
Characteristics of AI
AI can be split into three categories
a) Narrow AI- this occurs when a machine has superior performance to a human
when doing one specific.
b) General AI- this occurs when a machine is similar (not superior) in its performance
to a human doing a specific task.
c) Strong AI- this occurs when a machine has superior performance to a human in
many tasks.
Examples of AI
i. Smart home devices.
ii. Use of chatbots that interact using instant messages.
iii. Autonomous cars
iv. Facial expression recognition – the algorithms identify key facial landmarks such
as the corners of the eyebrows, corners of the mouth etc can be used to map
emotions such as fear, joy etc.

AI Systems
Two types of AI system will be considered:
1. Expert system
2. Machine learning- is the science of training computers with sample data so that
they can go on to make predictions about new unseen data, without the need to
specifically program them for the new data.

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Expert system
It is a form of AI that has been developed to mimic human knowledge and experience.

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Machine Learning
• Is the sub-set of artificial intelligence (AI), in which algorithms are ‘trained’ and
learn from their past experiences and examples.
• It is possible for the system to make predictions or even take decisions based on
previous scenarios.
• They can offer fast and accurate outcomes due to very powerful processing
capability.
• One example that uses machine learning are the most sophisticated search
engines.

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