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title: Open-Loop vs. Closed-Loop Control description: Type: diagram sim-id: open-closed-loop-comparison
Library: Mermaid
Status: Specified Create two Mermaid flowcharts side by side (use subgraph): Left subgraph "Open-Loop": Controller → Actuator (Motors) → Output (R... image: /sims/open-closed-loop-comparison/open-closed-loop-comparison.png og:image: /sims/open-closed-loop-comparison/open-closed-loop-comparison.png twitter:image: /sims/open-closed-loop-comparison/open-closed-loop-comparison.png social: cards: false status: implemented library: Mermaid bloom_level: TBD

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Open-Loop vs. Closed-Loop Control

Run the Open-Loop vs. Closed-Loop Control MicroSim Fullscreen

About this MicroSim

Type: diagram sim-id: open-closed-loop-comparison
Library: Mermaid
Status: Specified Create two Mermaid flowcharts side by side (use subgraph): Left subgraph "Open-Loop": Controller → Actuator (Motors) → Output (R...

Bloom's Taxonomy level: TBD

You can embed this MicroSim in your own course page with the following iframe:

<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/stem-robots/sims/open-closed-loop-comparison/main.html" width="100%" height="560" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Learning objective: Type: diagram sim-id: open-closed-loop-comparison
Library: Mermaid
Status: Specified Create two Mermaid flowcharts side by side (use subgraph): Left subgraph "Open-Loop": Controller → Actuator (Motors) → Output (R...

Suggested use (5-15 minutes):

1. Predict first. Before touching the controls, ask students to predict what they expect to see.
2. Explore. Have students interact with every control and observe how the display responds.
3. Explain. Ask students to describe, in their own words, the relationship the MicroSim demonstrates.

Discussion questions:

• What changed on screen when you interacted with the MicroSim, and why?
• How does this idea show up when you program the real robot?

References

• Chapter 10: Robot Behaviors and Autonomous Navigation
• Control theory (Wikipedia)
• Feedback (Wikipedia)

Specification

The full specification below is extracted from Chapter 10: Robot Behaviors and Autonomous Navigation.

Type: diagram
**sim-id:** open-closed-loop-comparison<br/>
**Library:** Mermaid<br/>
**Status:** Specified

Create two Mermaid flowcharts side by side (use subgraph):

Left subgraph "Open-Loop":
Controller → Actuator (Motors) → Output (Robot Motion)
No feedback arrow.

Right subgraph "Closed-Loop":
Controller → Actuator (Motors) → Output (Robot Motion) → Sensor (Distance) → Error Calculation → Controller (loop back)

Every node has a click directive opening an infobox explaining that component's role. Error node infobox explains: "Error = Goal distance - Measured distance. If error > 0, speed up. If error < 0, slow down or stop."

Canvas: 700 × 300 px. Responsive on window resize.