Page 35 - Modern Control Systems

Section 1.2 Brief History of Automatic Control 9
1990s with 24 navigation satellites (known as the GPS) that solved the fundamental
problem that explorers faced for centuries by providing a dependable mechanism to
pinpoint the current location. Freely available on a continuous worldwide basis,
GPS provides very reliable location and time information anytime, day or night,
anywhere in the world. Using GPS as a sensor to provide position (and velocity) in-
formation is a mainstay of active control systems for transportation systems in the
air, on the ground, and on the oceans. The GPS assists relief and emergency workers
to save lives, and helps us with our everyday activities including the control of power
grids, banking, farming, surveying, and many other tasks.
A selected history of control system development is summarized in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 Selected Historical Developments of Control Systems
1769 James Watt's steam engine and governor developed. The Watt steam engine
is often used to mark the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Great
Britain. During the Industrial Revolution, great strides were made in the
development of mechanization, a technology preceding automation.
1800 Eli Whitney's concept of interchangeable parts manufacturing demonstrated
in the production of muskets. Whitney's development is often considered
to be the beginning of mass production.
1868 J. C. Maxwell formulates a mathematical model for a governor control of a
steam engine.
1913 Henry Ford's mechanized assembly machine introduced for automobile
production.
1927 H. S. Black conceives of the negative feedback amplifier and H. W. Bode
analyzes feedback amplifiers.
1932 H. Nyquist develops a method for analyzing the stability of systems.
1941 Creation of first antiaircraft gun with active control.
1952 Numerical control (NC) developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
for control of machine-tool axes.
1954 George Devol develops "programmed article transfer," considered to be the
first industrial robot design.
1957 Sputnik launches the space age leading, in time, to miniaturization of
computers and advances in automatic control theory.
1960 First Unimate robot introduced, based on Devol's designs. Unimate
installed in 1961 for tending die-casting machines.
1970 State-variable models and optimal control developed.
1980 Robust control system design widely studied.
1983 Introduction of the personal computer (and control design software soon
thereafter) brought the tools of design to the engineer's desktop.
1990 Export-oriented manufacturing companies emphasize automation.
1994 Feedback control widely used in automobiles. Reliable, robust systems
demanded in manufacturing.
1995 The Global Positioning System (GPS) was operational providing positioning,
navigation, and timing services worldwide.
1997 First ever autonomous rover vehicle, known as Sojourner, explores the
Martian surface.
1998-2003 Advances in micro- and nanotechnology. First intelligent micromachines
are developed and functioning nanomachines are created.
2007 The Orbital Express mission performed the first autonomous space
rendezvous and docking.