cybernetics

Noun

cybernetics (uncountable)

1. The theory/science of communication and control in living organisms or machines.
   • Near-synonym: control theory (not consistently differentiated)
   • Chasing and fleeing, though, are not just sequences of muscle contractions—they are goal-directed. Chasing may consist of running or climbing or leaping or ambushing, depending on the circumstances, as long as it increases the chances of snagging the prey; fleeing may include hiding or freezing or...2018, Steven Pinker, “Chapter 2: Entro, Evo, Info”, in Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, Penguin, →ISBN

   Synonyms:

   control theory

2. The art/study of governing, controlling automatic processes and communication.
3. Technology that is part of and controlled by a living organism (e.g. a cyborg); cybernetic or bionic technology such as prostheses.
   • […] he lost both of his arms and his jaw in a previous fight and had them replaced with cybernetics.2015, manga by Koutarou Sekine, created by Bradley Bond and Philip N. Morzez, Ninja Slayer Kills, volume 1, page 189
   • As they approached, a hulking figure stepped out of the shadows [... He] was heavily muscled, and had had his arms replaced with glittering chrome cybernetics.2025, Kathryne Lentes, Sin Eaters (Apocrypha Book 1), chapter 2
4. Technology related to computers and the Internet.