Why Robots Fall Down

In 1993, I delivered the keynote address at Cybernetics in the Art of Learning, the American Society for Cybernetics annual conference in Philadelphia. The talk, titled Why Robots Fall Down, explored the link between cybernetics and human movement coordination, which was initially highlighted in Norbert Wiener’s Cybernetics in 1948. 

Wiener’s work discusses the role of kinesthetic perception in guiding movement, arguing that we cannot think about perceptions merely as inputs and movement as outputs. Instead, we must consider the nervous system as an integrated whole, where circular causality, in general, and feedback, in particular, govern sensory-motor correlation. 

My presentation built on this legacy by incorporating the findings from recent research in kinesiology, neurophysiology, and physical medicine to propose an understanding of the role of feedback in movement. Building on the original insights of cybernetics and presenting research findings from three different areas of investigation —  posture, balance, and disease — I offered a report from the field, expanding on cybernetic themes to provide insight into the complexity of human movement and the nature of learning. 

After the talk, I led the group through a short Awareness Through Movement lesson. Heinz von Foerster and Humberto Maturana gave formal comments on the paper, followed by a discussion with the audience. 

Jude Lombardi recently digitized the video she recorded during the talk and follow-on discussion, which she posted to YouTube. You can watch the video by clicking on this link. 

Since the beginning of my presentation is missing from the recording, we have made the full text available on the Mind in Motion Online (MIMO) website. To access it, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your MIMO account.
2. Go to the “Library” section.
3. Find the “Wrestling for Higher Consciousness” category.
4. Look under “Documents” for the file.

If you don’t have a MIMO account, you can get one for free here. This account gives you access to this document and a collection of complimentary Awareness Through Movement lesson recordings. Feldenkrais teachers and trainees are eligible for a professional “Become a Better Teacher” account, which offers additional resources, including hundreds of ATM transcripts, at no cost.