1

INTRODUCTION TO
SOFT COMPUTING
Sachin Lakra,
Assistant Professor & Head,
Department of IT/MCA
Rinku Dixit,
Assistant Professor,
Department of IT/MCA
Manav Rachna College of Engineering
2
Contents
Intelligent systems
Soft computing
Application areas of soft computing
3
Traditions in human sciences
Materialism
Mathematics
& bivalent
logic
Empiricism Rationalism
Hermeneutics
etc.
Human sciences
(qualitative)
Human sciences
(quantitative)
Natural sciences
Positivism
4
Intelligent systems (ISs)
Intelligence: System must
perform meaningful operations.
interpret information.
comprehend the relations between phenomena or objects.
apply the acquired information to new conditions.
5
Short-Term Objectives of ISs
Everyday routine tasks of human beings:
vision, language processing, common sense
reasoning, learning, robotics.
Artificial routine tasks identified and developed
by human beings: games, mathematics, logic,
programming.
Expert tasks developed by human beings:
Doctors, Physicists, Mechanical Engineers,
accountants, other specialisations.
6
Long Term Objectives of ISs
Objectives: To develop a system which
can in essence be a replacement for human
beings in difficult situations
can be physically merged with human
beings to replace failed body parts or to
create cyborgs

7
Cyborgs
Mostly Sci-fi
8
Traditional approaches
Mathematical models:
Black boxes, number
crunching.
Rule-based systems
(crisp & bivalent):
Large rule bases.
9
Soft computing (SC)
Objective:
Mimic human (linguistic) reasoning

Main constituents:
Fuzzy systems
Neural networks
Evolutionary computing
Probabilistic reasoning
10
Soft Computing:Definition
Soft computing is a term applied to a field
within computer science which is
characterized by the use of inexact solutions
to computationally-hard tasks such as the
solution of NP-complete problems, for
which an exact solution cannot be derived
in polynomial time.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_computing
11
Hard Computing vs Soft Computing
Hard computing
Real-time constraints
Need of accuracy and precision in calculations and
outcomes
Useful in critical systems
Soft computing
Soft constraints
Need of robustness rather than accuracy
Useful for routine tasks that are not critical
12
Hard Computing vs Soft Computing
Soft computing differs from conventional (hard)
computing in that it is tolerant of the following
Imprecision
Uncertainty
Partial truth, and
Approximation.
In effect, the role model for soft computing is the human
mind.
The guiding principle of soft computing is:
Exploit the tolerance for imprecision, uncertainty, partial
truth, and approximation to achieve tractability,
robustness and low solution cost.
13
Constituents of SC
Fuzzy systems => imprecision
Neural networks => learning
Probabilistic reasoning => uncertainty
Evolutionary computing => optimization
Over 24,000 publications as of today
14
SC: a user-friendly approach
Soft computing
approach
Linguistic world
Soft data
Interpretations
Understanding
Explanations
Qualitative methods
Bivalent or multivalent
reasoning
Mathematical world
Hard data
Quantitative methods
Bivalent reasoning
Phenomenon under study
15
Advantages of SC
Models based on human reasoning.
Closer to human thinking
Models can be
linguistic
simple (no number crunching),
comprehensible (no black boxes),
fast when computing,
effective in practice.
16
SC today (Zadeh)
Computing with words (CW)
Theory of information granulation
(TFIG)
Computational theory of perceptions
(CTP)
17
Possible SC data & operations
Numeric data:
5, about 5, 5 to 6, about 5 to 6
Linguistic data:
cheap, very big, not high, medium or bad
Functions & relations:
f(x), about f(x), fairly similar, much greater
18
Neural networks (NN, 1940's)
Neural networks offer
a powerful method to
explore, classify, and
identify patterns in
data.
Neuron: y=w
i
x
i

Inputs
Neurons
(1 layer)
Outputs
Walter Pitts
Warren S.
McCulloch
19
Machine learning (supervised)
Pattern recognition
based on training
data.
Classification
supervised by
instructor.
Neural (crisp or
fuzzy), neuro-fuzzy
and fuzzy models.
Orange
Apple
?
Instructor
20
Machine learning (unsupervised)
Pattern recognition
based on training
data.
Classification based
on structure of data
(clustering).
No instructor
Neural (crisp or
fuzzy), neuro-fuzzy
and fuzzy models.
Orange
Apple
Mango
Labeling
21
Fuzzy systems (Zadeh, 1960's)
Deal with imprecise entities in automated environments
(computer environments)
Based on fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic.
Most applications in control and decision making
Omrons fuzzy processor
Lotfi A. Zadeh
22
SC applications: control
Heavy industry
Matsushita, Siemens
robotic arms, humanoid robots
Home appliances
Canon, Sony, Goldstar, Siemens
washing machines, ACs,
refrigerators, cameras
Automobiles
Nissan, Mitsubishi, Daimler-
Chrysler, BMW, Volkswagen
Travel Speed Estimation, Sleep
Warning Systems, Driver-less cars
Spacecrafts
NASA
Manoeuvering of a Space
Shuttle(FL), Optimization of Fuel-
efficient Solutions for a
Manoeuvre(GA), Monitoring and
Diagnosis of Degradation of
Components and Subsystems(FL),
Virtual Sensors(ANN)
23
SC applications: business
hospital stay prediction,
TV commercial slot
evaluation,
address matching,
fuzzy cluster analysis,
sales prognosis for mail order
house,
(source: FuzzyTech)
supplier evaluation for
sample testing,
customer targeting,
sequencing,
scheduling,
optimizing R&D
projects,
knowledge-based
prognosis,
fuzzy data analysis
24
SC applications: finance
Fuzzy scoring for mortgage applicants,
creditworthiness assessment,
fuzzy-enhanced score card for lease risk assessment,
risk profile analysis,
insurance fraud detection,
cash supply optimization,
foreign exchange trading,
insider
trading surveillance,
investor classification etc.
Source: FuzzyTech
25
SC applications: robotics

26
SC applications: others

Statistics
Social sciences
Behavioural sciences
Biology
Medicine
27
(Neuro)-fuzzy system construction
Training
data
Experts
Fuzzy rules
(SOM, c-means
etc.)
Control
data
System
evaluation
(errors)
Tuning
(NN)
New system
28
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
X
Y
Model construction (mathematical)
Mathematical models are functions. Deep knowledge on
mathematics.
If non-linear (eg. NN), laborious calculations and computing.
Linear models can be too simplified.
How can we find appropriate functions?
Y=1-1./(1 + EXP(-2*(X-5)))
29
Model construction (trad. rules )
If 0<x<1, then y=1
If 1<x<2, then y=0.99
:
If 8<x<10, then y=0
If 0<x<1, then y=f(x)
If 1<x<2, then y=g(x)
:
If 8<x<10, then y=h(x)
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
X
Y
Rule for each input. => Large rule bases.
Only one rule is fired for each input.
Coarse models.
30
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
X
Y
Model construction (SC/fuzzy)
If x0, then y1
If x5, then y0.5
If x10, then y0
Approximate values
Rules only describe typical cases (no rule for each input).
=> Small rule bases.
A group of rules are partially fired simultaneously.
31
SC and future
SC and conventional methods should be
used in combination.
32
Sources of SC
Books:
www.springer.de/cgi-bin/search_book.pl?series=2941,
www.springer.de/cgi-bin/search_book.pl?series=4240,
www.elsevier.com/locate/fss,
www.wkap.nl
Others:
http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/projects/Bisc/bisc.memo.html
33
References
1. J. Bezdek & S. Pal, Fuzzy models for pattern recognition (IEEE Press, New York,
1992).
2. L. Zadeh, Fuzzy logic = Computing with words, IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy
Systems, vol. 2, pp. 103-111, 1996.
3. L. Zadeh, From Computing with Numbers to Computing with Words -- From
Manipulation of Measurements to Manipulation of Perceptions, IEEE Transactions
on Circuits and Systems, 45, 1999, 105-119.
4. L. Zadeh, Toward a theory of fuzzy information granulation and its centrality in
human reasoning and fuzzy logic, Fuzzy Sets and Systems 90/2 (1997) 111-127.
5. H.-J. Zimmermann, Fuzzy set theory and its applications (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1991).