Elevating the senses

摘要

Sensors are becoming more commonplace every year. Each home has an array of sensors unthinkable 50 years ago and the rate of progress is mirrored in most industrial sectors. The cockpit of a Second World War aircraft now looks spartan compared with the banks of dials and indicators on modern aircraft. The drive to reduce crew workload and enhance aircraft performance has been enabled by advances in electronics and computers. Sensors that used to drive directly analogue gauges monitored by pilots, or a flight engineer, are now interfaced to an automatic control or monitoring system, eliminating the need for a flight engineer.