Plenary Panel on the Early History of Autonomous Mechanisms

Is Feedback Control a Mediterranean Invention?

Tuesday, June 28, 2005
ABSTRACT: The Roman Vitruvius in his books on Architecture reported on the water clock and its Feedback mechanism of Ktesibius and a lot is known about the automatic mechanisms of Hero of Alexandria. Plato's Academy of Athens, Aristotle's Lyceum and the Museum and Library of Alexandria played foundational roles in the development of Science and Technology. The Hellenistic Period, when more direct interaction with remains of older cultures took place, is the great period of Greek Science with Euclid, Archimedes, and Apollonius. Greek Science was to pass later to the Arabs and through them to the Latin West where it was reorganized and subjected to extensive commentaries. The panel will review some of the key developments of the period in Science and Technology, focusing on the development of Autonomous devices.

  • Panelists:
    Lia Kassianidou (History and Archeology Dept., University of Cyprus)
    Haris Doumanides (Dept. of MME, University of Cyprus)
    Nikos Fourlingas (McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School)
    George Vachtsevanos (School of ECE, Georgia Institute of Technology)
    Kimon P. Valavanis (University of Southwestern Louisiana)
  • Moderator: Panos Antsaklis (ECE Dept., University of Notre Dame)
Plenary Organizers:
  • Panos Antsaklis, (ECE Dept., University of Notre Dame)
  • George Vachtsevanos, (School of ECE, Georgia Institute of Technology)
  • Marios Polycarpou (ECE Dept., University of Cyprus)