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An Overview of Soft Computing in Textiles

An important group of algorithms for modeling and optimization consists of the so-called soft-computing techniques. The best-known are neuro computing, fuzzy logic, and evolutionary algorithms. The theoretical backgrounds for these techniques have existed for more than 30 years but have only been increasingly applied to textile problems during the last decade. The first part of this paper presents an overview of this evolution and outlines the textile research topics involved. The second part of the paper gives an overview of the research contributions of the authors with regard to the applications of soft computing in textiles. The paper shows that textile research using soft-computing techniques has drastically increased from 1993 onward and that in recent years more and more of these techniques have been combined to arrive at satisfactory results. This tendency is illustrated by the successful research (of the authors) within two fields of study: the modeling and optimization of the fiber-to-yarn production process by means of neural network/evolutionary algorithms and the automatic assessment of carpet wear by using supervised/unsupervised neural networks. Finally, the paper concludes with a prediction of the evolution that can be expected in the near future within this field of textile research.