autopilots
Automated flight controllers
Autopilots is the plural of autopilot—a system that controls a vehicle without continuous human input.
Aircraft autopilots maintain heading, altitude, and speed.
The word extends to any automatic guidance system: The car's autopilot handled highway driving.
Figuratively, to be on autopilot is to act mechanically without conscious thought: I was so tired I drove home on autopilot.
Aerial journey by aircraft
- cockpitPilot's control compartment
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
- navigationDetermining position and course
- altitudeMeasured height above reference
cruise · Boeing · Airbus · avionics · throttle · heading · airspeed · descent
EV manufacturer and surname
- self-drivingOperating without human control
- sensorsDevices that detect input
- camerasVisual recording devices
- highwayMajor road for travel
hands-free · steering · braking · traffic · navigation · radar · safety · disengagement
Determining position and course
- helmVessel's steering mechanism
- GPSSatellite-based location technology
- coursePlanned path forward
- headingDirectional course traveled
rudder · steering · vessel · yacht · compass · waypoint · boat · sailing
Regular sequence of actions
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- habitSettled regular tendency
- mindlessLacking thought or awareness
- disengagedNot participating or invested
inattentive · default · mechanical · unthinking · sleepwalking · cruise · rote · zoned-out
flight
Aerial journey by aircraft
- cockpitPilot's control compartment
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
- navigationDetermining position and course
altitude · cruise · Boeing · Airbus · avionics · throttle · heading · airspeed · descent · landing
Tesla
EV manufacturer and surname
- self-drivingOperating without human control
- sensorsDevices that detect input
- camerasVisual recording devices
highway · hands-free · steering · braking · traffic · navigation · radar · safety · disengagement · alerts
navigation
Determining position and course
heading · rudder · steering · vessel · yacht · compass · waypoint · boat · sailing · bridge
routine
Regular sequence of actions
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- habitSettled regular tendency
- mindlessLacking thought or awareness
disengaged · inattentive · default · mechanical · unthinking · sleepwalking · cruise · rote · zoned-out · detached
- on autopilotActing without active awareness
- autopilot modeAutomated control setting
- Tesla AutopilotAssisted driving software
- autopilot systemsTechnology that steers vehicles autonomously