Integrating Evolutionary Computation with Neural Networks

There is a tremendous interest in the development of the evolutionary computation techniques as they are well suited to deal with optimization of functions containing a large number of variables. This paper presents a brief review of evolutionary computing techniques. It also discusses briefly the hybridization of evolutionary computation and neural networks and presents a solution of a classical problem using neural computing and evolutionary computing technique

Evolutionary Algorithms for Reinforcement Learning

There are two distinct approaches to solving reinforcement learning problems, namely, searching in value function space and searching in policy space. Temporal difference methods and evolutionary algorithms are well-known examples of these approaches. Kaelbling, Littman and Moore recently provided an informative survey of temporal difference methods. This article focuses on the application of evolutionary algorithms to the reinforcement learning problem, emphasizing alternative policy representations, credit assignment methods, and problem-specific genetic operators. Strengths and weaknesses of the evolutionary approach to reinforcement learning are presented, along with a survey of representative applications

Knowledge acquisition including tags in a classifier system

Congress on Evolutionary Computation. Washington, DC, 6-9 July 1999.One of the major problems related to classifier systems is the loss of rules. This loss is caused by the genetic algorithm being applied on the entire population of rules jointly. Obviously, the genetic operators discriminate rules by the strength value, such that evolution favours the generation of the stronger rules. When the learning system works in an environment in which it is possible to generate a complete training set, the strength of the rules of the CS will reflect the relative relationship between rules satisfactorily and, therefore, the application of the genetic algorithm will produce the desired effects. However, when the learning process presents individual cases and allows the system to learn gradually from these cases, each learning interval with a set of individual cases can lead the strength to be distributed in favour of a given type of rules that would in turn be favoured by the genetic algorithm. Basically, the idea is to divide rules into groups such that they are forced to remain in the system. This contribution is a method of learning that allows similar knowledge to be grouped. A field in which knowledge-based systems researchers have done a lot of work is concept classification and the relationships that are established between these concepts in the stage of knowledge conceptualization for later formalization. This job of classifying and searching relationships is performed in the proposed classifier systems by means of a mechanism. Tags, that allows the classification and the relationships to be discovered without the need for expert knowledge

Evolutionary Computation in System Identification: Review and Recommendations

Two of the steps in system identification are model structure selection and parameter estimation. In model structure selection, several model structures are evaluated and selected. Because the evaluation of all possible model structures during selection and estimation of the parameters requires a lot of time, a rigorous method in which these tasks can be simplified is usually preferred. This paper reviews cumulatively some of the methods that have been tried since the past 40 years. Among the methods, evolutionary computation is known to be the most recent one and hereby being reviewed in more detail, including what advantages the method contains and how it is specifically implemented. At the end of the paper, some recommendations are provided on how evolutionary computation can be utilized in a more effective way. In short, these are by modifying the search strategy and simplifying the procedure based on problem a priori knowledge

Assembly and Disassembly Planning by using Fuzzy Logic & Genetic Algorithms

The authors propose the implementation of hybrid Fuzzy Logic-Genetic Algorithm (FL-GA) methodology to plan the automatic assembly and disassembly sequence of products. The GA-Fuzzy Logic approach is implemented onto two levels. The first level of hybridization consists of the development of a Fuzzy controller for the parameters of an assembly or disassembly planner based on GAs. This controller acts on mutation probability and crossover rate in order to adapt their values dynamically while the algorithm runs. The second level consists of the identification of theoptimal assembly or disassembly sequence by a Fuzzy function, in order to obtain a closer control of the technological knowledge of the assembly/disassembly process. Two case studies were analyzed in order to test the efficiency of the Fuzzy-GA methodologies