Actuator: Affects a particular domain of the physical space or a combination of both. An actuator is a type of motor that is responsible for controlling or taking action in a system. It takes a source of data or energy (e.g., hydraulic fluid pressure, other sources of power) and converts the data/energy to motion to control a system.

“Rayes, A., & Salam, S. (2016). The Things in IoT: Sensors and Actuators. Internet of Things From Hype to Reality, 57–77. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-44860-2_”