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Automation Engineer

Designs systems that automate manufacturing, logistics, and industrial processes.

Did you know?

The first industrial robot, Unimate, started work at a General Motors plant in New Jersey in 1961, handling hot die-cast car parts.

How subjects help

Computer Science: Program the controllers that tell factory machines and conveyor belts what to do.
Mathematics: Calculate timings so robots, belts and packing machines stay perfectly in step.
Physics: Pick sensors and motors that can detect parts and move them quickly and accurately.

A famous name

George Devol: Invented Unimate, the first industrial robot, which began work in a car factory in 1961.

Try it yourself: Measure your sensor delay

Your helper holds the ruler at the top end. Hold your thumb and finger open just below the bottom end, without touching it.
Your helper drops it without warning. Catch it as fast as you can and read the number at your fingers.
Do five drops and write them down. Then try with a "1, 2, 3" countdown, and with your other hand.
Label your body like a robot: eyes = sensor, brain = controller, hand = motor. Which part of the chain do you think takes longest, and why did the countdown help?

Robotics and control engineers measure how long a machine takes to sense, decide and act, because a slow loop makes a robot overshoot or react too late.

Adapted from TeachEngineering (University of Colorado Boulder): Pupillary Response & Test Your Reaction Time.

Also try: Program a paper traffic light.

Known for it in

Germany, Japan, USA, South Korea, Sweden