Cybernetics

Cybernetics is the study of self-regulatory systems of any kind. Cybernetics is formally defined as the science of control and communication in animals, men and machines. It basically extracts whatever to its concerned with information processing and control. In the past, "cybernetics" was applied to self-regulatory systems and by Norbert Wiener's description, cybernetics in terms of both society and machines. He used society as a description of how each person is regulating which created order within society. One major characteristic of Cybernetics is its preoccupation with the construction of models and here it overlaps operational research. Cybernetic models are usually distinguished by being hierarchical, adaptive and making permanent use of feedback loops. One could say that cybernetics is like science of organization. For example the human brain can be compared to cybernetics. There are characteristics of storage, feedback, etc. In any structure there are some sort of organizations and the cybernetics in it will function differently. The ideology of that cybernetic systems are relevant and has fluidity which allows adaptation through changing times is the core of cybernetics.  

Cybernetics has changed since the 1960's because of technology improvements. There is a great improvement in artificial intelligence. The aim of this is to show how artificially manufactured systems can demonstrate intelligent behavior. Cybernetics can also be applied cross-field such as in education, engineering and others. Francis Heylighen describes cybernetics as a "first-order" which that the given can be freely manipulated and observed. The interaction between observer and system is the main focus and evolves the definition of cybernetics. With artificial intelligence, systems are both self-regulatory and interactive and can be regulating itself independently.

The four most important attributes of cybernetic system are self-regulation, feedback, user-observer interaction, and control. In which self-regulation is the core of all systems. According to Wiener the ability to receive information and react accordingly is one of the fundamentals of cybernetic systems. Feedbacks are also an important characteristic because without feedback, it will only be a one-way command that does not perform interaction. User-observer interaction is to analyze the system. Machine system cybernetics is making the interaction between human and machine more creative and break away from the boundaries.

Works Cited

Heylighen, Francis. "Cybernetics and Second Order Cybernetics." Encyclopedia of Physical Science & Technology. New York: Academic, 2001. N. pag. Print.

Wiener, Norbert. Cybernetics; Or, Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. New York: M.I.T., 1961. Print.