This book is a collection of some 47 research papers that were presented in June 1997 at the 2nd Online World Conference in soft computing. It covers the state-of-the-art techniques and applications of soft computing which will stimulate further advances towards the next generation of intelligent machines. The papers are organised into eight sections which cover areas such as genetic algorithms, engineering design, manufacturing and robotics. The book's main focus, though, is on the existence and interaction of fuzzy, neural and evolutionary computing techniques. Though fundamentally quite different from one another, these techniques can work incredibly well together when building intelligent systems. Soft Computing in Engineering Design and Manufacturing will be of interest to graduate students and researchers involved in soft computing. It will also be useful for those working in related industrial environments.