Co-evolutionary multi-agent system with predator-prey mechanism for multi-objective optimization

Abstract

Co-evolutionary techniques for evolutionary algorithms allow for the application of such algorithms to problems for which it is difficult or even impossible to formulate explicit fitness function. These techniques also maintain population diversity, allows for speciation and help overcoming limited adaptive capabilities of evolutionary algorithms. In this paper the idea of co-evolutionary multi-agent system with predator-prey mechanism for multi-objective optimization is introduced. In presented system the Pareto frontier is located by the population of agents as a result of co-evolutionary interactions between two species: predators and prey. Results from runs of presented system against test problem and comparison to classical multi-objective evolutionary algorithms conclude the paper. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.