Control

Open-Loop Control

Open-loop control is control that executes a precomputed command sequence without using sensor feedback to correct errors during execution. It works when the system model is accurate and disturbances are small, as in some pick-and-place motions with well-fixtured parts, but any error accumulates uncorrected. It is the counterpart of closed-loop, or feedback, control.

Why it matters for physical AI

Many imitation-learned policies act nearly open-loop over action chunks, and understanding when feedback is essential versus when replay suffices shapes both controller and policy architecture choices.