Techniques of Identification with the Stochastic Computer

A major obstacle to the practical application of advanced techniques for process identification is lack of suitable hardware. By its very nature an identification computer must be able to store and adjust large numbers of variable parameters, and to use these for purposes of prediction and control. Conventional analog and digital computers both have disadvantages in this application, and there is a need for hardware specifically designed for identification purposes, economical in cost, reliable and drift-free like the digital computer, and capable of parallel operation to achieve the size-independent bandwidth of the analog computer. In particular this hardware should take full advantage of the advanced state of integrated circuit technology.