MACHINERY

Machinesemploy power to achieve desired forces and movement (motion). Amachinehas a power source and actuators that generate forces and movement, and a system ofmechanismsthat shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement. Modern machines often include computers and sensors that monitor performance and plan movement, and are calledmechanical systems.

The meaning of the word "machine" is traced by the Oxford English Dictionaryto an independently functioning structure and by Merriam-Webster Dictionaryto something that has been constructed. This includes human design into the meaning of machine.