---------------------------------------------------------------------- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH SEMINAR Department of Computer Science Worcester Polytechnic Institute SPEAKER: Prof. Michael Gennert TITLE: "Optimal Functional Approximation Using Fuzzy Rules" DATE: Thursday, Oct. 29 TIME: 11 am ROOM: FL246, Beckett Conference Room. ABSTRACT: It is known that fuzzy systems can approximate arbitrary functions, that is, they are universal approximators. However, the proof does not provide an algorithm to build a fuzzy system that approximates an analytically defined function to an arbitrary precision with a minimum number of fuzzy rules. The goal of this work is to find such an algorithm. The talk begins with a review of fuzzy sets and fuzzy rules, showing how a given function may be approximated by a fuzzy system. I will then describe a general approach that varies the membership function of a fuzzy set to define an approximating function. The result is a method that utilizes the information contained in the analytic definition of a function, such as its first and second derivatives, to build a fuzzy system that approximates it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone is welcome to attend!