CLASS ASSIGNMENT

ANIMATION SIMULATION AND AUTOMATION The cognitive convergence 3

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AUTOMATION:

Of all the creations on earth, humans are by far the most innovative, but no doubt the laziest. Ordinarily, people don’t like to work. And it is as a result of this desire to subterfuge work that a lot of tools and machines have been invented in order to reduce the time spent on working everyday. But as if that is not enough, people still want to keep away from the machines themselves that they also devised ways of controlling them automatically. In fact, it is this method of not manually controlling any of these devices that is called automation. According to the Longman English dictionary, automation is a technique where mechanical processes are subject to some degree of automatic control, without human intervention. 

THEN AND NOW

Although the word automatic comes-up almost in all our every day speech, it isn’t as modern as some might think. Today, automation is not limited to industrial use alone, now people talk about Automatic cars, Appliances, Toys and so on. But several thousands of years ago, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Chinese, to mention a few civilizations, made mechanical toys too which operated with little or no human intervention, some were operated using Air (Pneumatic) and others Water (Hydraulic). In fact, the word automation was derived from the Greek word, Automatos, which means Self Acting.

In the past, Engineers and Artisans have to manually carry out most of their engineering procedures, relying heavily on only blueprints drawn on the paper and other medium. Even till date they still do, but with the evolution of 3D printing technology some are gradually breaking free from that reliance. Now those models can be printed directly from the computer using the 3D printer or Automated Robotic Arms. The Automobile and some manufacturing industries have come to see the benefits of this automated approach and had adapted it to their manufacturing process, because of its speed and cost-cutting advantages in the long run. 

A Modern Automated Car Manufacturing Plant in Korea

ANIMATION, SIMULATION AND AUTOMATION, The cognitive convergence 2

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SIMULATION:

Although the word Simulation, is synonymous with those in the scientific community, modern day animators and professionals in other fields too have come to leverage on its benefits. It can be thought of as another way of producing animation, but this time, instead of moving our objects by hand, frame-by-frame; we shall base all our movements by obeying some natural laws governing the universe, like Gravity, Atmospheric pressure etc that may affect our objects over time. An animator tells a story and creates more of an illusion, but a simulator tries to mimic real life events by mathematically creating the model.

Just before one embarks on simulating any physical event, it is important for such one to have some basic understanding of the how the objects behave in real life situation. This process of understudying is what some call Operational Research (OR).  Also, some fair knowledge of Mathematics and Computer programming are also essential, because they will help us to develop a functional mathematical model that will help us formulate the best algorithm for the physical event.   Since all the outcomes of all Simulations are guided by physical laws, it helps to foresee problems ahead and to correct them on time.

SOME USES

As earlier explained, Simulation can also be used for predicting the outcome of events in general, even before they occur. All that is required is the collection of some basic information (Data), and the understanding of the event. Some countries have used this process to correctly predict the outcomes of their election months before they even occur.  It can also be a good study aid as some stakeholders in some companies had successfully used it to predict the future market trend and make the necessary adjustment before it was too late. Surgeons use Simulators too to practice some difficult medical procedures ahead of time.

Today people learn to fly a plane by using a flight simulator only. All events that might happen during real flight had been captured into databases (Storage) and used for the simulation process, thus forestalling all costly accident that might want to occur. In automobile systems, engineers also use it to calculate the rate of explosion of the gas on the cylinder head and how far the pistons can travel down. In legal matters, some Lawyers use other Simulation techniques to reconstruct some evidences.

ANIMATION, SIMULATION AND AUTOMATION, The cognitive convergence 1

By Gbenga Omodigbo

 (GO Guy)

Someone may ask, “What does the trio have in common?” well simply put, “Motion! Action! Or just Movements!” This article focuses on how Technological Convergence has continued to help the Creative Artists, the Scientists, the Engineers and not forgetting to quickly mention some few professionals in other fields, to effectively collaborate with one another. 

ANIMATION:

Traditionally, ANIMATION is a form of art. It is an image transformation technique where STILL Images or Objects are made to change at constant successions; in other to create the illusion of movements. The time interval between changing one frame to the next is called the Sample or Frame rate, and often referred to by the unit, frames per second (fps). The higher the value, the faster it is. Some animation can make use of 12 fps, 15fps, 24 fps, 30 fps or even more, depending on its Type: (Traditional, 2 or 3D), its Use: (Video, Game, or Presentation) and the processing power of the computer itself.  

A QUICK HISTORY

Earlier in the history of man, people look for ways to have fun and pass information from one generation to the next. Although Books, camera and the computer were not invented yet, people

   Picture of some Horse riders drawn on an ancient Scroll

Drawing of a fast moving Bison found in a cave wall

entertain and vividly bring out their stories or ideas in the minds of their audiences. Some resolved to Fork tales, Songs, Sculptures, Images and Drawings usually engraved on stones and cave walls. The Egyptians developed the hieroglyphics; a form of drawing that was used to tell a story, the Greece and the Romans too were not left out. Each culture all over the centuries looks for ways to entertain and pass on knowledge to their children.