QandAs: Tech

What is a servo?

Answer:
A servo is a mechanism that uses a computerised error-correction system to modify the performance of a machine or part.

A thermostat on a furnace is an example of a servo.

Servomechanisms are usually automated. All the human operator has to do is specify certain conditions or requirements (such as the temperature and time on a thermostat) and a computer tells the machine how to stay within those parameters.

Servomechanisms can be motorized or they can be standalone. Servomechanisms are often used in robotics, but can be found in other applications such as automobiles. Adaptive automatic transmissions, such as those found in high-end luxury cars, automatically adjust shift points and shift timing based on the primary driver's driving habits. This is an example of a servo.