Automatic Control — The Hidden Technology

Abstract

The field of automatic control is about 50 years old. This paper presents some reflections on the dynamic development. Automatic control represented a paradigm shift from the traditional split of engineering into civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical. Key ideas in the development are presented. The interplay of theory and applications are discussed as well as relations to other fields such as mathematics and computer science. It is attempted to make an assessment of the current status. The lecture ends with some speculations about future development.