Feed forward (control)

Feed-forward, sometimes written feedforward, is a term describing an element or pathway within a control system which passes a controlling signal from a source in its external environment, often a command signal from an external operator, to a load elsewhere in its external environment. A control system which has only feed-forward behavior responds to its control signal in a pre-defined way without responding to how the load reacts; it is in contrast with a system that also has feedback, which adjusts the output to take account of how it affects the load, and how the load itself may vary unpredictably; the load is considered to belong to the external environment of the system.

Feedforward may refer to:

• Feed forward (control), a type of element or pathway within a control system
• Feedforward (management), giving a pre-feedback to a person or an organization from which you are expecting a feedback
• Feedforward neural network, a type of artificial neural network
• Feedforward, Behavioral and Cognitive Science, the concept of learning from the future and one's desired behavior
• In communication, feedforward is an introductory overview of the primary message