Solving integer programming problems by using population-based beetle antennae search algorithm

Beetle antennae search (BAS) algorithm is a newly proposed single-solution based metaheuristic technique inspired by the beetle preying process. Although BAS algorithm has shown good search abilities, it can be easily trapped into local optimum when it is used to solve hard optimization problems. With the intention to overcome this drawback, this paper presents a population-based beetle antennae search (PBAS) algorithm for solving integer programming problems. This method employs the population's capability to search diverse regions of the search space to provide better guarantee for finding the optimal solution. The PBAS method was tested on nine integer programming problems and one mechanical design problem. The proposed algorithm was compared to other state-of-the-art metaheuristic techniques. The comparisons show that the proposed PBAS algorithm produces better results for majority of tested problems.