CMA Presents "What Is Fuzzy Logic and What Are Its Applications?"

Fuzzy logic control methods have been applied successfully to challenging control applications such as subway operation in Japan. Because fuzzy methods are designed to be tolerant of uncertain sensor data, they may have a significant role to play in future NASA control applications such as in situ rovers, where uncertain state information about the operational environment will be an ongoing challenge.

Fuzzy logic has been and to some extent still is an object of controversy; some people are turned off by its name. But, more important, fuzzy logic is tolerant of imprecision and partial truth. It is this tolerance that is in conflict with the deep-seated Cartesian tradition of aiming at truth that is bivalent, with no shades of gray allowed.

Notwithstanding this controversy, applications of fuzzy logic ranging from consumer products and industrial systems to decision analysis and medicine are growing rapidly in visibility and importance. An important event in the evolution of fuzzy logic is the development of the methodology of computing with words (CW). Eventually, computing with words may lead to a radical enlargement of the role of natural languages in information processing, decision, and control.

As the "Father of Fuzzy Logic," Professor Zadeh is clearly preeminent in his field and has an extraordinary list of accomplishments and honors too large to post here. Please see http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/People/Facult/Homepages/zadeh.html

This event is free. All JPL/Caltech personnel are welcome.

For additional information about this event, please send e-mail to [email protected] or call Michael Eastwood, (818)354-9273.