Automation makes rapid decisions using real time Telemetry values, allowing you to run procedures without user intervention.
Automation can be used to automate steps in many use cases including assembly, integration, and testing.
Turn on Automation for a Procedure
New Automation Procedures
When creating a new procedure from the Master Procedures list, a modal will pop up to quickly fill in starting procedure information. In this modal, you can enable automation using the Automation Enabled toggle.
Turning Automation on for Existing Procedures
Navigate to a procedure from the Master Procedures list.
Create a new draft of the procedure or edit the existing draft.
Once in Edit Mode, click into Procedure Settings. From there you will be able to use the Automation Enabled toggle to enable or disable Automation.
This procedure draft will need to go through a Review and Release process before automation will be turned on for subsequent runs.
Linear Flow Automation
If no conditionals are used on a given step, automation will continue to follow the linear flow for passing telemetry values and successful commanding steps.
Automation will pause and notify the operator under the following conditions:
Telemetry values fail to meet to set criteria
Commanding returns a failure response
A field input is present requiring manual intervention
The step requires sign off from one or more specified group or user
Telemetry Passing Criteria
Commanding Success Response
Telemetry or Commanding Failed Criteria - Automation is paused
Field Input Required - Automation is paused
Automation with Conditionals
If conditionals are used on a given step, automation will continue to the designated pass / fail steps specified in the Conditional.
Select the Telemetry parameter in the Conditionals drop down and designate the steps that each condition will flow to.
Automation will not work with a Step Success/Fail conditional as the Automation will not mark a step as failed.
Only one conditional block may be added per step. If you have multiple telemetry blocks with conditional fail steps, these would need to be in separate steps to add a conditional for each.
In this example, Automation will run through Step 2.2.
If the Telemetry passes Automation will sign off on 2.2 and continue to step 2.4
If the Telemetry fails Automation will sign off on step 2.2 and move to step 2.3
Automation will pause and notify the operator under the following conditions:
A field input is present requiring manual intervention
The step requires sign off from one or more specified group or user
Running a Procedure with Automation
When you start a Procedure Run of a procedure where Automation is enabled, a lightning bolt icon will be visible in the top navigation bar of the run.
Click the lightning bolt to start the Automation for the run.
The run will automatically progress through the run until reaching a step that will cause it to pause automation, as mentioned above.
When the automation is paused, a yellow banner at the top will link to the step automation paused at.
Once the necessary manual intervention has occurred, the RESUME button will become active.
Clicking RESUME will restart the automation.
Steps that have been completed via Automation will have a lightning bolt in the sign off box and will be timestamped as being signed off by Automation.
When all unlocked steps in the run have been completed, Automation Complete will display in the top navigation bar.
If a step becomes unlocked and/or a step is added or repeated, the Start Automation lighting bolt becomes active again.
Click the lightning bolt to restart animation, or complete and sign off the steps manually.
Timers
Automation will start the timer and then automatically proceed with the step once the required time has elapsed.
As long as there are no field inputs required or specific operator sign off, the automation can run through with timers without pausing.
Activity
Automation activity will be tracked in the collapsable run menu on the left, below Contents.
The Contents menu can be collapsed or expanded, just scroll down to the Activity section.