In many complex practical optimization cases, the dominant characteristics of the problem are often not known prior. Therefore, there is a need to develop general solvers as it is not always possible to tailor a specialized approach to each application. The previously developed multilevel selection genetic algorithm (MLSGA) already shows good performance on a range of problems due to its diversity-first approach, which is rare among evolutionary algorithms. To increase the generality of its performance, this paper proposes utilization of multiple distinct evolutionary strategies simultaneously, similarly to algorithm selection, but with coevolutionary mechanisms between the subpopulations. This distinctive approach to coevolution provides less regular communication between subpopulations with competition between collectives rather than individuals. This encourages the collectives to act more independently creating a unique subregional search, leading to the development of coevolutionary MLSGA (cMLSGA). To test this methodology, nine genetic algorithms are selected to generate several variants of cMLSGA, which incorporates these approaches at the individual level. The mechanisms are tested on 100 different functions and benchmarked against the 9 state-of-the-art competitors to evaluate the generality of each approach. The results show that the diversity divergence in the principles of working of the selected coevolutionary approaches is more important than their individual performances. The proposed methodology has the most uniform performance on the divergent problem types, from across the tested state of the art, leading to an algorithm more likely to solve complex problems with limited knowledge about the search space, but is outperformed by more specialized solvers on simpler benchmarking studies.

In a typical equity-linked life insurance contract, the insurance company is entitled to a share of return surpluses as compensation for the return guarantee granted to the policyholders. The set of possible contract terms might, however, be restricted by a regulatory default constraint — a fact that can force the two parties to initiate sub-optimal insurance contracts. We show that this effect can be mitigated if regulatory policy is more flexible. We suggest that the regulator implement a traffic light system where companies are forced to reduce the riskiness of their asset allocation in distress. In a utility-based framework, we show that the introduction of such a system can increase the benefits of the policyholder without deteriorating the benefits of the insurance company. At the same time, default probabilities (and thus solvency capital requirements) can be reduced.

The goal of machining scheme selection (MSS) is to select the most appropriate machining scheme for a previously designed part, for which the decision maker must take several aspects into consideration. Because many of these aspects may be conflicting, such as time, cost, quality, profit, resource utilization, and so on, the problem is rendered as a multiobjective one. Consequently, we consider a multiobjective optimization problem of MSS in this study, where production profit and machining quality are to be maximized while production cost and production time must be minimized, simultaneously. This paper presents a new discrete method for particle swarm optimization, which can be widely applied in MSS to find out the set of Pareto-optimal solutions for multiobjective optimization. To deal with multiple objectives and enable the decision maker to make decisions according to different demands on each evaluation index, an analytic hierarchy process is implemented to determine the weight value of evaluation indices. Case study is included to demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of the hybrid algorithm. It is shown from the case study that the multiobjective optimization model can simply, effectively, and objectively select the optimal machining scheme according to the different demands on evaluation indices.

It is well known that Parallel Kinematic Mechanisms (PKMs) have an intrinsic dynamic potential (very high speed and acceleration) with high precision and high stiffness. Nevertheless, the choice of optimal dimensions that provide the best performances remains a difficult task, since performances strongly depend on dimensions. On the other hand, there are many criteria of performance that must be taken into account for dimensional synthesis, and which are sometimes antagonist. This paper presents an approach of multiobjective optimization for PKMs that takes into account several criteria of performance simultaneously that have a direct impact on the dimensional synthesis of PKMs. We first present some criteria of performance such as the workspace, transmission speeds, stiffness, dexterity, precision, as well as dynamic dexterity. Secondly, we present the problem of dimensional synthesis, which will be defined as a multiobjective optimization problem. The method of genetic algorithms is used to solve this type of multiobjective optimization problem by means of NSGA-II and SPEA-II algorithms. Finally, based on a linear Delta architecture, we present an illustrative application of this methodology to a 3-axis machine tool in the context of manufacturing of automotive parts.

Human posture prediction can often be formulated as a nonlinear multiobjective optimization (MOO) problem. The joint displacement function is considered as a benchmark of human performance measures. When the joint displacement function is used as the objective function, posture prediction is a MOO problem. The weighted-sum method is commonly used to find a Pareto solution of this MOO problem. Within the joint displacement function, the relative value of the weights associated with each joint represents the relative importance of that joint. Usually, weights are determined by trial and error approaches. This paper presents a systematic approach via an inverse optimization approach to determine the weights for the joint displacement function in posture prediction. This inverse optimization problem can be formulated as a bi-level optimization problem. The design variables are joint angles and weights. The cost function is the summation of the differences between two set of joint angles (the design variables and the realistic posture). Constraints include (1) normalized weights within limits and (2) an inner optimization problem to solve for joint angles (predicted posture). Additional constraints such as weight limits and weight linear equality constraints, obtained through observations, are also implemented in the formulation to test the method. A 24 degree of freedom human upper body model is used to study the formulation and visualize the prediction. An in-house motion capture system is used to obtain the realistic posture. Four different percentiles of subjects are selected to run the experiment. The set of weights for the general seated posture prediction is obtained by averaging all weights for all subjects and all tasks. On the basis of obtained set of weights, the predicted postures match the experimental results well.

In the present paper, a general multiobjective optimization problem is stated as a Nashgame. In the nonrestrictive case of two objectives, we address the problem of thesplitting of the design variable between the two players. The so-called territorysplitting problem is solved by means of an allocative approach. We propose two algorithmsin order to find fair allocation tables

In this paper, we present the development and application of a technical feasibility model used in preliminary design to determine whether a set of desired product specifications obtained from marketing is feasible in the engineering domain. This model is developed by integrating the capabilities of a multiobjective design problem, a multicriteria design optimization tool, a Pareto frontier gap analyzer, metamodeling methods, and use of the Pareto frontier as a constraint for feasibility assessment. Although the tools are independent of the domain, their application is illustrated using two examples: a simple three-objective mathematical problem and a five-objective passenger vehicle design problem. The feasibility of the desired product specifications is determined with respect to the problem's Pareto frontier, which is considered to be the necessary constraint to satisfy.

This paper describes the use of software agents within an interactive evolutionary conceptual design system. Several different agent classes are introduced (search agents, interface agents, and information agents) and their function within the system is explained. A preference modification agent is developed and an example is given illustrating the use of agents in preference modeling.

In this paper, we propose a population-based evolutionary multiobjective optimization approach to design combinational circuits. Our results indicate that the proposed approach can significantly reduce the computational effort required by a genetic algorithm (GA) to design circuits at a gate level while generating equivalent or even better solutions (i.e., circuits with a lower number of gates) than a human designer or even other GAs. Several examples taken from the literature are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach.

This paper presents a hybrid approach to optimize the counterweight balancing of a robot arm. A new technique that combines an artificial intelligence technique called the genetic algorithm (GA) and the weighted min-max multiobjective optimization method is proposed. These techniques are included in a system developed by the authors, called MOSES, which is intended to be used as a tool for engineering design optimization. The results presented here show how the new proposed technique can get better trade-off solutions and a more accurate Pareto front for this highly non-convex problem using an ad-hoc floating point representation and traditional genetic operators. Finally, a methodology to compute the ideal vector using a genetic algorithm is presented. It is shown how with a very simple dynamic approach to adjust the parameters of the GA, it is possible to obtain better results than those previously reported in the literature for this problem.