Rabbit and Turtle Algorithm: A Novel Metaheuristic for Solving Complex Engineering Optimization Problems
International journal of intelligent engineering and systems · 2025
This paper presents a novel metaheuristic optimization algorithm called the Rabbit and Turtle Algorithm (RTA), inspired by the natural behaviours and interaction patterns of a rabbit and a turtle.Unlike conventional algorithms, RTA leverages the contrasting exploration-exploitation strategies of these two animals-rapid, stochastic exploration by the rabbit and slow, steady exploitation by the turtle-forming a unique dual-agent search mechanism.The algorithm is characterized by its simplicity, parameter-free design, and adaptive balance between intensification and diversification, making it robust across diverse problem landscapes.A theoretical foundation is established to model the dynamics of the search agents and ensure convergence toward global optima.To validate the effectiveness of RTA, extensive experiments were performed on four well-known engineering design problems: pressure vessel design, welded beam design, speed reducer design, and tension-compression spring design.The performance of RTA was benchmarked against nine state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms.Results indicate that RTA outperforms or matches the best algorithms in terms of solution quality, convergence reliability, and statistical robustness.These findings affirm RTA's capability as a competitive and efficient tool for real-world constrained optimization problems.The proposed method introduces a new direction in nature-inspired computation by integrating behavioural asymmetry and co-evolutionary dynamics.