Toward General Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Systems Based on zSlices

Higher order fuzzy logic systems (FLSs), such as interval type-2 FLSs, have been shown to be very well suited to deal with the high levels of uncertainties present in the majority of real-world applications. General type-2 FLSs are expected to further extend this capability. However, the immense computational complexities associated with general type-2 FLSs have, until recently, prevented their application to real-world control problems. This paper aims to address this problem by the introduction of a complete representation framework, which is referred to as zSlices-based general type-2 fuzzy systems. The proposed approach will lead to a significant reduction in both the complexity and the computational requirements for general type-2 FLSs, while it offers the capability to represent complex general type-2 fuzzy sets. As a proof-of-concept application, we have implemented a zSlices-based general type-2 FLS for a two-wheeled mobile robot, which operates in a real-world outdoor environment. We have evaluated the computational performance of the zSlices-based general type-2 FLS, which is suitable for multiprocessor execution. Finally, we have compared the performance of the zSlices-based general type-2 FLS against type-1 and interval type-2 FLSs, and a series of results is presented which is related to the different levels of uncertainty handled by the different types of FLSs. © 2006 IEEE.