Automation

Automation is a tool for controlling the operation of buildings based on what sensors in the colony are detecting.A Ceiling Light could be configured to automatically turn on when a Duplicant Motion Sensor detects a Duplicant in the room.A Liquid Pump might activate only when a Liquid Element Sensor detects water.A Thermo Regulator might activate only when the Thermo Sensor detects too much heat.

Automation Wires

In addition to an electrical wire, most powered buildings can also have an Automation Wire connected to them. This wire can signal the building to turn on or off. If the other end of a Automation Wire is connected to a sensor, the building will turn on and off as the sensor outputs signals.

Signals

There are two signals that an Automation Wire can send: Green and Red. The green signal will usually cause buildings to turn on, and the red signal will usually cause buildings to turn off. Sensors can often be configured to send their green signal only under certain conditions. A Thermo Sensor could be configured to only send a green signal if detecting temperatures greater than a chosen value.

Gates

The signals of sensor wires can be combined using special buildings called "Gates" in order to create complex activation conditions. The AND Gate can have two automation wires connected to its input slots, and one connected to its output slots. It will send a "Green" signal to its output slot only if it is receiving a "Green" signal from both its input slots. This could be used to activate a building only when multiple sensors are detecting something.