Cooperative metaheuristic algorithm for global optimization and engineering problems inspired by heterosis theory

Swarm Intelligence-based metaheuristic algorithms are widely applied to global optimization and engineering design problems. However, these algorithms often suffer from two main drawbacks: susceptibility to the local optima in large search space and slow convergence rate. To address these issues, this paper develops a novel cooperative metaheuristic algorithm (CMA), which is inspired by heterosis theory. Firstly, simulating hybrid rice optimization algorithm (HRO) constucted based on heterosis theory, the population is sorted by fitness and divided into three subpopulations, corresponding to the maintainer, restorer, and sterile line in HRO, respectively, which engage in cooperative evolution. Subsequently, in each subpopulation, a novel three-phase local optima avoidance technique-Search-Escape-Synchronize (SES) is introduced. In the search phase, the well-established Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) is used for global exploration. During the escape phase, escape energy is dynamically calculated for each agent. If it exceeds a threshold, a large-scale Lévy flight jump is performed; otherwise, PSO continues to conduct the local search. In the synchronize phase, the best solutions from subpopulations are shared through an elite-based strategy, while the classical Ant Colony Optimization algorithm is employed to perform fine-tuned local optimization near the shared optimal solutions. This process accelerates convergence, maintains population diversity, and ensures a balanced transition between global exploration and local exploitation. To validate the effectiveness of CMA, this study evaluates the algorithm using 26 well-known benchmark functions and 5 real-world engineering problems. Experimental results demonstrate that CMA outperforms the 10 state-of-the-art algorithms evaluated in the study, which is a very promising for engineering optimization problem solving.