50 years of progress in measuring and controlling industrial processes

Looking back at measurement and control technologies during the past 50 years, we have seen the field change dramatically. We've witnessed the transition from manual and mechanical technology to pneumatic, electromechanical, electronic, and today's digital and information-based world. Along the way, the tools we use to do our jobs have changed just as dramatically, and thus the training and education we need to perform our work successfully. We've gone from drawing boards to computer graphics; from rotary telephones to digital fax machines: from slide rules to calculators: and, of course, from roomsize computers to laptops. Driving these changes are the demands of a changing world: the need to increase productivity and quality, global competition, and the need to more safely manufacture products that are environmentally friendly. During the past half-century, measurement and control professionals and technicians have made manufacturing history, while they've helped win wars and grow economies. From the author's perspective, he gives a snapshot look at some significant measurement and control highlights and milestones over the past 50 years.