What is Soft Computing?

Let us define concept of computation. We may remember that a computing means there
is certain input and then there is a procedure by which the input can be converted into
some output. So, in the context of computing, so the input is called the antecedent and
then output is called the consequence and then computing is basically mapping. Here we
see, so f is the function f is the function basically which is responsible to convert x the
input and to some output. So, this is the concept of computing is basically.

So, in other words, computing is nothing but is a mapping function, mapping from set of
input to output. Now, this mapping is also alternatively called as formal method also it is
called an algorithm, so basically algorithm to solve a problem.

Now, say let us see, exactly what are the different characteristics of computing? So,
computing is that, for a given input it always give a particular output. This means that it
should provide a precise solution. And in order to achieve from a given set of input to an
output it should follow some setup unambiguous and accurate step.

And the next characteristic is that, it should it is suitable for some problems which is
easy to model mathematically. This means that for which there is an algorithm is
available.

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Now this is the concept of computing and this concept is first time coined by a
mathematician is Lotfi Aliasker Zade. So, he is only termed as LAZ and he basically is
the first person to introduce the concept of hard computing as a part of the concept of
computing in general. So, according to LAZ the computing we can say it is hard
computing if it provides precise result and the step that is required to solve the problem
is unambiguous and then the control action; that means, those are the steps that is require
is formally defined by means of some mathematical formula or some algorithm.

So, if a computing concept follows these are the three different characteristics then we
say that computing is hard computing.

We know in order to solve numerical problems for example, finding root of polynomials
or finding integration or derivation we usually follow some mathematical models and
therefore, it is an example of hard computing. Now, searching and sorting techniques are
frequently used in many software. So, these are the basically followed by some
unambiguous steps and it always gives the precise result and it is basically defined
correctly by means of an algorithm. So, it is an example of hard computing.

There are many problems related to the computational geometry for example, finding the
shortest tour in a graph, finding closest pair of points given a set of points etcetera is
basically is a task of hard computing. And there are many many such examples can be
given. So, these are the concept of hard computing.

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Hard computing was proposed by LAZ. He himself also defined the concept of soft
computing first times. According to him, the soft computing is defined as a collection of
methodologies that aim to exploit the tolerance for imprecision and uncertainty to achieve
tractability, robustness, and low solution cost.

Now, here I have underlined few things that you can mark it. So, the first thing it is
basically tolerance for imprecision this is important. This means that the result that is
obtained using the soft computing not necessarily to be precised and obviously, the result
is uncertain. This is because if you solve this problem several times it may give different
result different time. And is a robustness, means it can tackle any sort of input noise
including, so that is why it gives the robustness. And very important concept is called the
low solution cost. Some problems if we follow hard computing then it is computationally
expensive. However, if we follow soft computing then it is computationally very cheap;
that means, we can find a solution in real time.

Now, so if this is the concept of some soft computing where the result is not necessarily
to be precised, the step that needs to be followed is not necessarily the certain or
unambiguous and then the result that can be obtained is also not necessarily to be same
always. Then how this can be achieved? So, in principle the soft computing concept
follow three computing paradigms. These are called fuzzy logic, neural computing and
probabilistic reasoning. So, these are basically the soft computing paradigms and is
basically these concepts the fuzzy logic, neural computing or probabilistic reasoning, if
you see, this is the exactly the way the human can solve their own program. So, that is
why the role model for soft computing is in fact human mind.

Now, let us see what are the different characteristics of soft computing? We have
discussed little bit about it. So, soft computing is one concept of computing which does
not require any mathematical model. So, it does not require any mathematical model or
problem; that means, it does not necessary that an algorithm should be followed or the
problem that we have to solve should be expressed in terms of mathematical formulation.

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And it may not yield the precise solution, the solution that is not that it will give you
always the same or a unique. It can give time to time the different solution for the same
problem even with the same input also.

But the solution is near about the accurate value. And algorithms are adaptive; that
means, it can adjust to the change of any dynamical situation. I, by the means of
dynamical situation, I want to mean that if the input is changes, suppose you want to
solve one problem which require only two inputs, but later on the same problem require
where twenty input is required. So, the same problem same computing concept can be
easily adapted into whatever be the number of inputs are there, whatever the input values
maybe there, whatever the other parameters that is involved in order to solve the
problem.

Now, so I told you that a human mind is the role model behind the soft computing and
actually it is some biological inspired methodology. So, that also constitute the concept
of human behavior, such as genetics, the evolution, the behaviors of ant colony,
swarming of particles, our nervous system, etcetera. So, basically the way the different
natural phenomena works for us if we follow the same method and then try to solve our
own problem this is basically the way exactly the use of soft computing to solve our own
problem.

Now, I will give some example of soft computing so that we can understand how the soft
computing can works for us. And in this example this is example is basically extracted
from the hand written character recognition. Now, the different people if we collect the

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hand written character they can give the same characters in a different form.

Now, even we know exactly whatever the different form or the way the people can write,
we can understand easily. For example there is a different way the input is given here and
we can exactly step it here we exactly tell that this is [Aa]. Now, how it basically
happens is basically we learn by the process that this is the letter resemble to a particular
alphabets [Aa]. So, it is in the same way we learn it and this learned somehow stored in
our memory and this is the learning phase and these learning basically works for us to
recognize any unseen characters or unseen letters. And these basically the way actually
our neural network our nervous system works and based on this concept the artificial
neural network has been evolved and it is followed there.

Now, another example say, suppose a person wants to invest some money and for which
the different the banks are available with the different policies, the different schemes and
there is a flexibility for the person to invest all or some money into the different banks so
that he can return the maximum profit. Now, here is the one problem that how we can
store the, how we can invest the money in different bank so that we can get the
maximum return. So, this concept is basically can be followed using some probabilistic
reasoning or it is called the evolutionary computing for example, genetic algorithm can
be followed to solve these kind of problem.

Another example it is from the robotics say, suppose one robot wants to move from here
to these place and there are many obstacles are there. Now, so how the robots can
calculate his movement so that without any collision, with any objects, he can move
from his current location to target location within a shortest time. Now, this kind of
problem, in fact, has lot of uncertainty or impreciseness, defining so for the input is
concern. Because the robot is works like that. And then that kind of uncertainty can be
solved using the concept called the fuzzy logic. So, fuzzy logic is an important parts of
soft computing.

Now, here is again another question. So, we have discussed three different problems
hand written character recognition, allocation of money into the different banks and then
movement of the robots in three different corners. Now, the first example that we have
discussed that it is the problem which can be solved very effectively efficiently using
artificial neural network. The second problem that we have discussed it basically solved
using some probabilistic reasoning and it is basically one problem called evolutionary
computing or genetic algorithm. The third problem that we have discussed it is basically

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the fuzzy logic, how the fuzzy logic can be exercised to solve some problem where lot of
uncertainty involved.

Let us discuss about the different techniques that can be followed or the different
techniques which is basically behind the above concepts. For example, how a student
learn from his teacher? Here two parts are involved; one is the student and the other is the
teacher. Now, consider student is basically a computing machine and teacher gets some
output for a given input like. So, how students are learn from their teacher or basically
how such a system can be developed? Here the teacher is responsible to develop a system
and here system is student.

So, usually teacher asks questions and tells the answer. Then there is another way teacher
puts some questions and hints an answers and ask whether the answers are correct or not;
students here basically to check whether the answer correct or not. Students then,
thus learn a topic and store in his memory. So, basically by the process if we
discuss several time the same different questions, different answers, different questions,
hints to the different answer for the same question or different answers for the different
questions.

So, students listen to those and then by the process learn a topic and whatever the
students learns it basically store in his memory. Now, based on the knowledge he then

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can solve many new problems assigned to him. So, basically it is a concept of learning
how to learn something and then based on this learning how he can solve the problem.

So, this is the way exactly our human brain works in fact. And based on this concept the
artificial neural network is used for example, hand written character can be recognized.

Now, another example, so how world selects the best? It is basically a natural process.
The process is basically starts with a population and initially it consider a random
population. When our worlds evolve, first time it is started with some population and
is a random population. Random means whatever the objects these are possible there and
it then reproduces, reproduces to develop another population, we called it is a next
generation. And then all the population that we obtained so we rank them and select the
superior individuals. So, here basically population generation, then reproduction and
reproduction followed by the ranking and then it basically selects based on this ranking
the best individuals. So, basically best population or best solution.

Now, the concept of genetic algorithm is based exactly on the same phenomena, it is
called is basically genetics. And here in this context the population is synonymous to
solution. So, we can start with some random solution those are not necessary to be an
optimal and then we have to reproduce from this set of solution another solution and then

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select the best solution. The same thing can be repeated several times ultimately until we
can achieve the best result. Now, here selection of superior solution is synonymous to
exploring the optimal solution.

Now, here we can see all the method that can be followed in a probabilistic manner or in
a randomized sense. So, that is why the genetic algorithm follows a probabilistic
reasoning to solve problem particularly solving optimization problem.

Now, as another example how a doctor treats his patient? Here doctor is a one party and
patient is another party. Now, patient wants to solve his problem with the help of doctor.
So, doctor is the computing system in this case. So, usually it works like this. Doctor
asks the patient about the problem that he is suffering and doctor find the symptoms of
disease from the patients input, and then doctor prescribe some tests and medicine. This
is the exactly the way the fuzzy logic works.

So, fuzzy logic take some input which is basically related to solving some problem and
then based on this inputs he predict certain output. So, here symptoms are correlated with
disease and you know whatever the disease doctor will guess or patient will tell they are
basically not a certain; there are some uncertainty with the input. So, this is why it is

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called the symptoms are correlated with disease uncertainty and then the doctor prescribe
medicines or whatever the test it is also fuzzily; so that means, with certain uncertainty.
So, fuzzy means it is uncertain in this sense.

Now, let us discuss about hard computing versus soft computing. Now, so for the hard
computing is concerned it requires a precisely stated analytical model and obviously, it is
a computational expensive on methodology. On the other hand soft computing it is
imprecision, tolerance to imprecision means we can be happy with some solution which
is not exactly the precise one and with uncertainty, the partial truth and approximation
may works for us. Only the requirement that is that the problem which cannot be solved
using hard computing in real time can be solved using soft computing in a real time.

The concept of hard computing basically based on few concept called the binary logic,
crisp system, numerical analysis and some crisp software; the software basically if run
for the same input it always give the same output. Whereas, the concept that is followed
in soft computing is based on the fuzzy logic, the neural networks, and probabilistic
reasoning which is totally different than the concept that is followed in hard computing.

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And so, hard computing basically has the characteristics of precision and categoricity, it
works for a certain kind of input and it works well for that input. Whereas, the soft
computing is a characteristic of approximation; exact result is not required, but it can be
near accurate result and dispositionality; that means, it can be applied to varieties of
input, the different type of input, different number of inputs as well as.

Now, another difference between hard computing and soft computing it is deterministic
whereas, the soft computing is stochastic means probabilistic. It requires exact input data
in case of soft computing it basically requires an ambiguous and noisy data.

Hard computing usually is followed strictly sequential methods; however, the soft
computing can be carried out using parallel computation. Hard computing produces
precise answers whereas, soft computing can yields approximate answers. So, these are
the differences between hard computing and soft computing and I hope you have
understood the difference between the two.

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 Hybrid Computing
Now, there is hybrid computing. It is basically combination of the two into solving a
particular problem. So, few portion of the problem can be solved using hard computing
for which we have a mathematical formulation for that particular part and then where we
required a precise input. And there are some part of the same problem maybe which
cannot be solved in real time for which no good algorithm is available and we also do not
required accurate result some near accurate result is sufficient for us then we can solve
soft computing for that part and then mixing together is basically the hybrid computing.

So, if we know hybrid hard computing, if we know soft computing and if we know some
problems where whatever the characteristic involved to solve either hard computing way
of soft computing way we can inter mix the two approaches and then hybrid computing
can be obtained.

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