The Interplay of Humans-Machines-Automation

It all began with the wheel. With a wheeled cart, it was much easier to transport a heavy load, rather than carrying the load on your shoulders or the back of a donkey. From such humble ideas, the concept of machines grew. The invention of the wheel was a significant point in human evolution. It was fundamentally different from objects like a lever. The idea was always there, to increase the mechanical advantage; that is, the ratio of the load to be moved versus the effort to be exerted. The determining factor was that the human or the animal exerting the force—the prime mover, in other words—had a limited strength or capability. So, methods were sought which could multiply the force which was exerted by the animal or human. The early means of a lever, inclined plane, wedge, and pulley were intended to change the application of force, either in direction, such as in the case of a pulley, or in magnitude, such as in the case...