Karl U Smith

Karl Ulrich Smith (1907–1994) was an American physiologist, psychologist, and behavioral cybernetician known for his work on human-technology interaction and contributions to human factors design. He focused on creating safe, humane, and healthy products, work equipment, and systems.

Smith authored several books, including *The Behavior of Man: Introduction to Psychology* (1958), *Perception and Motion: An Analysis of Space-Structured Behavior* (1962), and *Cybernetic Principles of Learning and Educational Design* (1966). He also wrote numerous articles on topics such as sensory feedback, motor skills, performance in automated systems, and cybernetic psychology.

Among his notable works are studies on delayed sensory feedback in behavior (*Delayed Sensory Feedback and Behavior*, 1962), social tracking in educational skills (*Social Tracking in the Development of Educational Skills*, 1972), and feedback mechanisms in human behavior (*Feedback-Control Mechanisms of Human Behavior*, 1987). Smith’s research explored neural-metabolic integration, hybrid automated systems, and the behavioral cybernetic basis of cognitive performance.

His collaborations include works with T. J. Smith on motor performance and learning (*Feedback Mechanisms of Athletic Skill and Learning*, 1970), and studies on cybernetic foundations in rehabilitative science (*Cybernetic Foundations of Rehabilitative Science*, 1967). Smith’s contributions spanned the fields of psychology, ergonomics, and behavioral cybernetics.