3 missions. Guess, learn, then check. Your place is saved.
Mission 1Nobody touches the greenhouse. So what turns the water on?
Mission 2Robot vacuum or remote-control car: which one is the robot?
Mission 3A spam filter blocks a scam it has never seen. How?
The specification points and sources are listed under the lesson: see Sources.
Mission 1
Nobody touches the greenhouse. So what turns the water on?
Make a guess: Nobody touches the greenhouse. So what turns the water on?
Automated & emerging technologies · automated systems
Sensor, microprocessor, actuator
An automated system does a task with no human controlling it.
A sensor measures a physical quantity, such as moisture, temperature or light, and sends the reading as data.
A microprocessor processes that data and decides what to do.
An actuator receives a signal from the microprocessor and causes a physical action, such as a motor turning or a valve opening.
Automated & emerging technologies · automated systems
The control loop
The sensor continually sends its readings to the microprocessor as digital data.
The microprocessor compares each reading with a stored (preset) value.
If the reading is out of range, it sends a signal to the actuator, for example to switch the pump on.
If it is in range, the actuator is switched off or left off.
The loop repeats continuously, so the system reacts as conditions change.
Quick check
?In an automated greenhouse, which component decides that the soil is too dry?
Automated & emerging technologies · automated systems
Automated systems in different scenarios
The same three parts appear in every scenario. Only the sensors and actuators change.
Scenario
Example system
Sensor(s)
Actuator / action
Lighting
Street lights
Light
Switch lamps on at dusk
Agriculture
Greenhouse
Moisture, temperature, humidity
Pump, valves, heater, window motor
Industry
Chemical plant
Level, pressure, temperature
Valves, conveyor motors
Transport
Automatic train doors
Proximity, pressure
Door motors
Weather
Weather station
Temperature, humidity, pressure
Readings logged and sent automatically
Gaming
Motion controller
Accelerometer
Vibration motor (feedback)
Science
Lab experiment
Temperature, pH
Heater; readings logged at set intervals
Calculate
?The greenhouse microprocessor checks the soil once an hour for 6 hours. The readings (%) are stored in Moisture[1] to Moisture[6]: 52, 41, 38, 40, 35, 47. What is output?
Cambridge pseudocode
HoursOn ← 0
FOR Hour ← 1 TO 6
IF Moisture[Hour] < 40
THEN
HoursOn ← HoursOn + 1
ENDIF
NEXT Hour
OUTPUT HoursOn
Automated & emerging technologies · automated systems
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
Disadvantages
Works 24 hours a day without breaks
High set-up cost
Reacts faster and more consistently than a person
Needs maintenance; a faulty sensor can cause wrong actions
Keeps people away from dangerous places
Cannot deal with situations it was not programmed for
Uses resources only when needed (less waste)
Fewer jobs for manual workers; skilled technicians needed
Lower running costs over time
If networked, it could be hacked
In an exam, link each point to the given scenario, not just a general list.
Quick check
?A town replaces timer-controlled street lights with lights controlled by a light sensor and a microprocessor. Which is a valid advantage?
Quick check
?An automated system must keep a fish tank at 25 °C. Which sensor and actuator should it use?
Mission check
?Nobody touches the greenhouse. So what turns the water on?
A moisture sensor sends readings to a microprocessor, which compares them with a stored value. When the soil is too dry, the microprocessor signals an actuator (a pump or valve) to water it, and the loop repeats continuously.
Mission 2
Robot vacuum or remote-control car: which one is the robot?
Make a guess: Robot vacuum or remote-control car: which one is the robot?
Automated & emerging technologies · robotics
What robotics is
Robotics is a branch of computer science that incorporates the design, construction and operation of robots.
Examples include factory equipment (robot arms), domestic robots (robot vacuums, lawn mowers) and drones.
A robot does not have to look like a person. It is a robot because of its characteristics, not its shape.
Automated & emerging technologies · robotics
Characteristics of a robot
Characteristic
What it means
Robot vacuum example
Mechanical structure or framework
A physical body that can move or hold parts
Body, wheels, brushes
Electrical components
Sensors, a microprocessor and actuators
Bump and dirt sensors; microprocessor; wheel and brush motors
Programmable
It follows a stored program, which can be changed
Cleaning routes and schedules set by its program
Sensors detect, the microprocessor decides, actuators move, just as in an automated system.
Quick check
?A factory robot arm has a camera that spots faulty parts. Which characteristic of a robot does the camera belong to?
Automated & emerging technologies · robotics
Roles robots perform
Area
Example roles
Industry
Welding and spray-painting car bodies; moving goods in warehouses
Assisting surgeons with very precise movements; dispensing medicines
Domestic settings
Vacuuming floors; mowing lawns
Entertainment
Animatronic figures in theme parks; robot toys; camera drones filming events
Automated & emerging technologies · robotics
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
Disadvantages
Work 24 hours a day without breaks or tiredness
Expensive to buy, set up and maintain
Consistent, precise work, so fewer errors
Only do the tasks they are programmed for
Can do dangerous, dirty or repetitive jobs
Struggle with unexpected situations
Often faster than people; no wages
Some jobs lost; skilled engineers needed instead
Link each point to the role in the question (for example, precision matters most in medicine).
Quick check
?A supermarket uses robots to collect items for online orders in its warehouse. Which is a disadvantage of using the robots?
Quick check
?A car factory switches its robot arm from welding doors to welding bonnets without rebuilding it. Which characteristic makes this possible?
Mission check
?Robot vacuum or remote-control car: which one is the robot?
Both have a mechanical structure and electrical components, but only the vacuum is programmable: it follows a stored program and acts without a person steering it. A basic remote-control car just obeys the handset, so it is not a robot.
Mission 3
A spam filter blocks a scam it has never seen. How?
Make a guess: A spam filter blocks a scam it has never seen. How?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behaviours by computers.
Its main characteristics:
a collection of data and the rules for using that data
the ability to reason: use the data and rules to reach new conclusions
it can include the ability to learn and adapt
Quick check
?A chess program meets a position it has never seen. Without changing its own program or data, it works out a strong move from the rules of chess and its stored data. Which characteristic of AI is this mainly showing?
Machine learning is when a program has the ability to automatically adapt its own processes and/or data.
It is trained on many examples, such as emails marked "spam" or "not spam", and finds patterns.
As new data arrives it updates itself, so its results can improve without a programmer rewriting the code.
Compare: an expert system's rules are written by people and stay the same until someone edits them.
Your answer
?A car-fault expert system has this rule base:
R1: IF engine will not start AND lights are dim THEN "battery is flat" R2: IF engine will not start AND lights are bright THEN "check starter motor" R3: IF engine starts AND engine overheats THEN "check coolant level" Through the interface, the user answers: the engine will not start; the lights are bright. What conclusion does the inference engine reach?
Quick check
?Which of these systems shows machine learning?
Mission check
?A spam filter blocks a scam it has never seen. How?
The filter uses machine learning. It was trained on many emails marked spam or not spam, found patterns, and keeps adapting its own processes and data as new emails arrive, so it can spot a new scam that shares those patterns.
Recap
Big ideas
Sensors measure and send data; the microprocessor compares the data with stored values and decides; actuators make the physical change.
The loop repeats continuously, so the system reacts without a person.
Advantages and disadvantages must be linked to the scenario given.
Robotics is the branch of computer science covering the design, construction and operation of robots.
A robot has a mechanical structure, electrical components (sensors, microprocessor, actuators) and is programmable.
Robots work in industry, transport, agriculture, medicine, homes and entertainment; judge their pros and cons for the role given.
AI simulates intelligent behaviour: data plus rules, the ability to reason, and sometimes the ability to learn and adapt.
An expert system has a knowledge base, a rule base, an inference engine and an interface; its rules are fixed by people.
Machine learning automatically adapts its own processes and/or data.
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Mini-lesson complete!
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You've worked through Automated and emerging technologies for Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (0478/0984). 🎉
Mission 1Nobody touches the greenhouse. So what turns the water on?
Mission 2Robot vacuum or remote-control car: which one is the robot?
Mission 3A spam filter blocks a scam it has never seen. How?