Fluidicsߝa new dimension in control

Fluidics is the generic title of a new and potentially important field of activity where fluid phenoma is used to perform various control and sensing functions; the devices have no moving parts. Now a number of pure fluidic devices are commercially available in this country. This article describes some of the devices and shows why, when applied, they can often lead to systems which have desirable advantages over more pedestrian alternatives. Material handling and numerical control systems are shown to be particularly attractive application areas.