Introduction to Fusion of Soft Computing and Hard Computing

Fusion of soft-computing (SC) and hard-computing (HC) methodologies is a wellknown approach for practicing engineers. Since the utilization of evolutionary computation, fuzzy logic, and neural networks began to emerge in various applications, also complementary unions of SC and HC have been in common use. Nevertheless, the actual term “Fusion of Soft Computing and Hard Computing” was invented as recently as 1998. But why do we need such a term now if the basic ideas have been in applications use already for more than a decade? We will return to this relevant question at the end of the following discussion. Soft computing is sometimes called—particularly in Japan—“human-like information processing.” This is a somewhat misleading description, because the human brain has two specialized hemispheres, the left one (logic, mathematics, analysis, serial processing, etc.) and the right one (creativity, recognition, synthesis, parallel processing, etc.), and they are connected closely to one another through the corpus callosum, which consists of over 200 million nerves [1]. Each hemisphere is continually supporting and complementing the activity of the other. Roger W. Sperry shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discoveries concerning “the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres” [2]. Based on his brilliant work that enhanced our comprehension of the higher functions of human brain, obvious analogies have been established between the left brain and HC, as well as between the right brain and SC. Furthermore, the massive bundle of connecting nerves corresponds to the fusion interface between the two computing paradigms; this crucial communications extension to the above brain analogy is hardly ever mentioned in the literature.