Environmental issues are a growing concern for our society, and should deserve increased attention, given the extremely negative climate changes which have been taking place. Emissions of greenhouse gases, excessive dependence on fossil fuels, growing consumption of power energy, and exacerbated consumption of materials are some of the problems that need to be addressed urgently. Some of these problems can be overcome through ingenious solutions based on automation. This book aims to make a contribution precisely in this sense, criticizing the current state of society in general and providing some solutions that can be used as a basis for the development of more environmentally friendly systems.

This book explores the concepts and role of green computing and its recent developments for making the environment sustainable. It focuses on green automation in disciplines such as computers, nanoscience, information technology, and biochemistry. This book is characterized through descriptions of sustainability, green computing, their relevance to the environment, society, and its applications. Presents how to make the environment sustainable through engineering aspects and green computing Explores concepts and the role of green computing with recent developments Processes green automation linked with various disciplines such as nanoscience, information technology, and biochemistry Explains the concepts of green computing linked with sustainable environment through information technology This book will be of interest to researchers, libraries, students, and academicians that are interested in the concepts of green computing linked with green automation through information technology and their impacts on the future.

Automation, a mixture of algorithms, robots, software, and avatars, is transforming all types of jobs and industries. This book responds to one critical question for the design and construction industry: “how are architects, engineers, and contractors using information technology to further automate their practices?” Addressing the use of new digital technologies, particularly parametric automation for design and construction in the building industry, this book looks at how technologically advanced architectural and engineering practices are semi-automating their design processes by using sophisticated algorithms to transform their workflows. The book also documents a set of firms that are further advancing automation by using pre-fabrication, modularization, and custom designs via robotics.

Man is the best thing in the World. Nature does nothing uselessly. Aristotle There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not Man the less, but Nature more. John Burroughs The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people’s choices. The objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives. Mahbub ul Hag Founder of the Human Development Report Theaimofthisbookis toprovidea compiledset ofconcepts,principles,methods and issues used for studying, designing and operating human-minding and natu- minding automation and industrial systems. The depth of presentation is suf?cient for the reader to understand the problems involved and the solution approaches, and appreciate the need of human–automation cooperative interaction, and the - portance of the efforts required for environment and ecosystem protection during any technological and development process in the society. Humans and technology are living and have to live together in a sustainable society and nature. Humans must not be viewed as components of automation and technology in the same way as machines. Automation and technology must incorporate the humans’ needs and preferences, and radiate “beauty” in all ways, namely functionally, technically and humanistically. In overall, automation and technology should create comfort and give pleasure.

Systems, cybernetics, control, and automation (SCCA)are four interrelated and overlapping scientific and technological fields that have contributed substantially to the development, growth, and progress of human society. A large number of models, methods, and tools were developed that assure high efficiency of SCCA applied to practical situations. The real-life applications of SCCA encompass a wide range of man-made or biological systems, including transportations, power generation, chemical industry, robotics, manufacturing, cybernetics organisms (cyborgs), aviation, economic systems, enterprise, systems, medical/health systems, environmental applications, and so on. The SCCA fields exhibit strong influences on society and rise, during their use and application, many ethical concerns and dilemmas. This book provides a consolidated and concise overview of SCCA, in a single volume for the first time, focusing on ontological, epistemological, social impact, ethical, and general philosophical issues. It is appropriate for use in engineering courses as a convenient tutorial source providing fundamental conceptual and educational material on these issues, or for independent reading by students and scientists.Included in the book is:• Background material on philosophy and systems theory• Major ontological, epistemological, societal and ethical/philosophical aspects of the four fields that are considered in the book• Over 400 references and a list of 130 additional books in the relevant fields • Over 100 colored photos and 70 line figures that illustrate the text

Economic inequality, the environmental crisis and the climate crisis are systemically linked. Accordingly, they should be understood as a single, interconnected system and strategies for resolving them should be guided by this understanding. This book demonstrates how the Green New Deal and its systemic alternative, the Red New Deal, could influence the course of these three global crises, all within the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The author has developed several scenarios that are relevant to the automation that will result from advances in artificial intelligence and intelligent robots. The first is one of mass unemployment, while the second envisages low rates of unemployment, although workers will experience stagnation and then a decline in their wages. It is possible to envisage a different set of scenarios; however, we must replace the capitalist economic model with a different model: mutualism, a sustainable model that would allow for economic growth while also addressing the three current systemic crises. The author argues that if such a model is implemented, there will be jobs for everyone and the climate crisis will be tackled because people’s welfare will be prioritized over profit. We can assert that such a model will foster the development of economic equality. The basic premise of this mutual and sustainable economic model is that sustainability is in everyone’s interests. The book employs not only established and innovative methods, such as literature reviews, scenario thinking and historical methods, to underpin its arguments, but also conceptual generalization as an intellectual tool to tackle the general research problem; thus, it will be an invaluable resource for scholars and students of sustainability and the innovation economy.

Corvette is an icon. For most of its history it was built in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The author, a forty-one year veteran of GM, spent twenty-four years working in various engineering and management positions from facilities to quality where he retired as Quality Assurance Manager. Never before has a comprehensive history been written of the place where Corvettes are assembled. The title reflects what took place in the Bowling Green Assembly Plant. One high level manager often referred to Building the Dream, and essentially the plant built hundreds of thousands of dreams over the years. The text contains philosophical, historical, methodical, biographical and some fictional information to provoke thought. The genre of each is intermingled so as to never bore the reader. Many names are mentioned. Mini-biographies are included for the most unique regardless of job level. They all were part of building the dream, and the assembler was as necessary as the manager. Venture now into the place were dreams are built!

Modern tree fruit orchards and vineyards constitute complex production systems that are exposed to highly dynamic and stochastic natural, financial and societal forces, and face demands for increased production using fewer resources, with reduced environmental impact. Successful operation of orchards and vineyards under these conditions is practically impossible without careful and extensive use of state-of-the-art automation technologies and careful planning of future operations (e.g., training systems when replanting) that can be enabled by knowledge of emerging technologies and future trends. Also, improvement of existing automation technologies and development of novel future systems cannot be accomplished without a working understanding of the tree and vine biological production systems, their management needs, and the capabilities and limitations of existing automation systems. The book aims to provide the necessary knowledge to achieve the above goals in a way that can engage readers without engineering or horticultural backgrounds.

Owen Smithers describes the automation of the Northern Line from his own professional experiences.

This book discusses the major trends in Business Process Automation (BPA) and explains how BPA technologies and tools are applied in practice. It introduces the students to the concepts of BPA and describes the need for automation in business process management. The book illustrates live examples of different functions of an enterprise where automation has been successfully implemented to reap business benefits. It elaborates the applications of BPA in various sectors such as HR and payroll, marketing, e-governance, knowledge management and banking. The text also discusses in detail the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) as a change agent for designing and implementing automation initiatives. Return-on-Investment (ROI) calculations have been shown as a business case for automating business processes. Evaluation criteria for deciding which software package to be implemented have been thoroughly explained. Key Features : Provides case studies at the end of all chapters to help the students for easy understanding of the concepts discussed. Includes chapter-end questions to test students’ comprehension of the subject. Presents a glossary of technical terms. The book is designed for the postgraduate students of management. It would be useful for the professionals and practitioners for implementation of process automation in organizations as well.