Page 29 - Modern Robotics Building Versatile Macines

A NEW SCIENCE 9

Wiener also saw a broader application for the new computing
technology. To encourage research, in December 1944, Wiener
sent out a letter to mathematicians, experts in the emerging field of
electronic computing, and neurophysiologists. The letter, calling
for a two-day conference in Princeton, was signed by Wiener, pio-
neer computer designer Howard Aiken, and John von Neumann,
a versatile mathematician who had helped design ENIAC. It
explained that

One of the earliest forms of feedback was the governor used to regulate the
pressure in a steam engine. As the engine speed increased, the spinning balls
drew farther apart. A linkage then squeezed the throttle valve, which reduced
the amount of steam pressure, slowing the engine. If the engine was too slow,
the process reversed and opened the throttle. The engine was thus kept near a
constant speed.