AbstractID: 9789 Title: Control Theory and feedback with medical applications
Control Theory and feedback with medical applications
Marcia K. O’Malley
Rice University
Dynamic behavior is observed in a wide range of biological systems, from the changing
concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood to the regulation of glucose. A key
component guiding these systems is feedback, the mechanism and process by which the status of
a system is used to regulate the input to that system. Feedback can be used to stabilize a dynamic
system, and it can be used to improve the performance of the system. In this presentation, an
overview of basic control system structures will be presented, encompassing feedback along with
alternate control methods such as feedforward and adaptive control. The pros and cons of each
approach will be discussed. The potential for interfacing artificial and natural control systems
will serve as the framework for the presentation.
The educational objectives are:
1. Recognize the existence of control systems in human physiology and medicine, and
discuss the potential for artificial control systems to augment natural system behavior.
2. Define feedback, feedforward, and adaptive control system structures.
3. Describe the benefits and limitations of each control approach.