automatic control
Machines governing themselves
Automatic control is the use of machines or systems to regulate processes without continuous human intervention.
A thermostat exercises automatic control over temperature, turning heating on and off to maintain a setpoint.
The term appears in engineering, manufacturing, and any context where feedback mechanisms replace manual adjustment: The factory runs on automatic control.
- closed loopSystem with continuous feedback
- open loopControl without feedback
- set pointDesired control level
- negative feedbackResponse indicating problems
- roboticsAutomaton design field
positive feedback · feedback loop · feedback system · cybernetics · sensors · error correction · machine learning · autonomous vehicles · self-driving cars · actuators · programmable · embedded systems · switch · microcontrollers · autopilot · cruise · smart thermostat · regulator
- power gridspower grid, transformer, substation, substations, transmission lines
- satellite operationscommand center, telemetry, uplink, downlink, ground station
automatic controlmanual control
Human-directed action
manual operation · hand control · manual adjustment · manual steering