  Often it is desirable to stabilize a system around an optimal state. This can
be effectively accomplished using feedback control, where the system deviation
from the desired state is measured in order to determine the magnitude of the
restoring force to be applied. Contrary to conventional wisdom, i.e. that a
more precise measurement is expected to improve the system stability, here we
demonstrate that a certain degree of measurement error can improve the system
stability. We exemplify the implications of this finding with numerical
examples drawn from various fields, such as the operation of a temperature
controller, the confinement of a microscopic particle, the localization of a
target by a microswimmer, and the control of a population.
