Nor does the Power Report. In our fundamental definition of motion control, developed by interviewing engineers on how they use the term, is the concept that motion is controlled by a signal, usually electrical and computer generated. In the past, motion control has been used mainly to achieve more precise and responsive control. But in some applications, an electrical signal is generated to control an element at a remote location rather than to achieve more precision. An example is an actuator located in the wing of a large aircraft.
Smaller aircraft employ a mechanical linkage instead.
The gist of the report s optimistic argument that servo-controlled electric drives will take over automobile propulsion is that mechanical shafts, belts, pulleys, chains, wheels, gears, and calipers provide the inertia that keeps the drive stable. This changes everything. Granted, improved chip technology makes possible more stability than before. There have been electric cars for as long as we ve had gasoline cars, although their utility is diminished by the fact that there isn t any convenient electrical drive source. Coming back to our lonely futurist, many of the fantastic things he predicted did come true.