a machine built by Ross Ashby in the l940's to demonstrate the behavior of an
ultrastable system. For a description, see Chapter 8 of Ashby, 1960.
A
machine built in the l940's by W. Ross Ashby to demonstrate the
behavior of an ultrastable
system (
see ultrastability ). It responds to deviations from certain essential values of a continuous variable caused by an experimenter in the environment of the machine with stepwise structural changes, and it comes to rest only when a
behavior has been found that keeps the values of that critical variable within desirable limits (
see morphogenesis ). The essential values maybe interpreted as a homeostatic state, goal or ideal and the structural changes are adaptive relative to these values (
see homeostasis, adaptation ) . (
Krippendorff )
