Industrial applications of fuzzy technology in the world

The 1980s saw a whole wave of practical applications of fuzzy theory, mainly in the field of process control, with Japan as pioneer. In the 1990s there has been a flood of applications to household electrical appliances, and "fuzzy" has become a high-tech buzz-word in Japan. Since then many countries have followed suit and developed their own fuzzy applications. This volume reviews the burgeoning industrial applications of fuzzy theory. The contributors are mostly industrial engineers or research experts in the field. The areas covered include automobiles, home appliances, voice recognition, medical techniques, fuzzy design, process control, space operations, and mobile autonomous robots. Very recently the development of fuzzy theory has become intertwined with fields such as neural networks and chaos. This volume also summarizes such trends in an industrial context. The book should be of use to senior undergraduates or graduate students, industrial research scientists, and anyone interested in the wide-ranging applicational aspects of fuzzy theory.