peripheral device, also known as peripheral, computer peripheral, input-output device, or input/output device, any of various devices (including sensors) used to enter information and instructions into a computer for storage or processing and to deliver the processed data to a human operator or, in some cases, a machine controlled by the computer. Such devices make up the peripheral equipment of modern digital computer systems. Peripherals are commonly divided into three kinds: input devices, output devices, and storage devices (which partake of the characteristics of the first two). An input device converts incoming data and instructions into a pattern of electrical signals in binary code that are comprehensible to a digital computer. An output device reverses the process, translating the digitized signals into a form intelligible to the user. At one time punched-card and paper-tape readers were extensively used for inputting, but these have now been supplanted by more efficient devices.