Before now, vehicles were mechanical systems only but with the advent of technology they are now electromechanical systems that is they are now automated systems. The force amplification e.g. the levers, change of speed e.g. gears and the transfer of rotation about one axis to rotation about another axis e.g. belt are still mechanical systems. The three devices that makes a modern vehicle to be an automated system are
(1) Electronic control unit,ECU ( The Brain Box), the ECU is also called information processor.
(2) Sensors
(3) Actuators. Sensors are used in cars, aircraft, spacecraft, banks (automated doors), elevators, medicine, manufacturing, robotics etc. As said early, sensors are to get information in an environment that is what is happening in that environment at that particular time. Like in Banks automated doors, what the sensor does is to know whether the customer has gun,key ,or cell phone which are not permitted to go with him inside the bank because of security reasons. Now, the sensor will get information about that customer and send it to the information processor to verify it. If the information processor is satisfied about it, it will command the actuator to open the door and if it is not satisfied, it will tell the actuator also not to open the door and blow an alarm and send a signal to their control room in form of danger. In Nigeria, we are still backward in technology and no advance systems.