Prefer passive solutions over active ones

Summary: Lower failure rate, lower maintenance.

#engineering #reliability

Prefer passive solutions over active ones

Why this matters

Active systems (sensors, motors, electronics) require power, maintenance, and updates. They fail. Passive systems (gravity, optics, mechanics) just work.

Principle

A ramp never runs out of batteries. A painted line never has a software bug. Always check if a passive solution exists before specifying an active one.