Multiobjective optimization of trusses using genetic algorithms

In this paper we propose the use of the genetic algorithm (GA) as a tool to solve multiobjective optimization problems in structures. Using the concept of min–max optimum, a new GA-based multiobjective optimization technique is proposed and two truss design problems are solved using it. The results produced by this new approach are compared to those produced by other mathematical programming techniques and GA-based approaches, proving that this technique generates better trade-offs and that the genetic algorithm can be used as a reliable numerical optimization tool.     

Bayesian optimization for learning gaits under uncertainty

Designing gaits and corresponding control policies is a key challenge in robot locomotion. Even with a viable controller parametrization, finding near-optimal parameters can be daunting. Typically, this kind of parameter optimization requires specific expert knowledge and extensive robot experiments. Automatic black-box gait optimization methods greatly reduce the need for human expertise and time-consuming design processes. Many different approaches for automatic gait optimization have been suggested to date. However, no extensive comparison among them has yet been performed. In this article, we thoroughly discuss multiple automatic optimization methods in the context of gait optimization. We extensively evaluate Bayesian optimization, a model-based approach to black-box optimization under uncertainty, on both simulated problems and real robots. This evaluation demonstrates that Bayesian optimization is particularly suited for robotic applications, where it is crucial to find a good set of gait parameters in a small number of experiments.     

Soft computing-based gait planners for a dynamically balanced biped robot negotiating sloping surfaces

Dynamically balanced gait generation problems of a biped robot moving up and down the sloping surface have been solved utilizing soft computing-based approaches. The gait generation problem of a biped robot is difficult to model due to its inherent complexity, imprecision in the collected data of the environment, which are the characteristics that can be the best modeled using soft computing. Two different approaches, namely genetic-neural (GA-NN) and genetic-fuzzy (GA-FLC) systems have been developed to solve the ascending and descending gait generation problems of a two-legged robot negotiating the sloping surface. Two modules of neural network (NN)/fuzzy logic controller (FLC) have been used to model the gait generation problem of a biped robot using the GA-NN/GA-FLC system. The weights of the NNs in the GA-NN and knowledge bases of the FLCs in the GA-FLC systems are optimized offline, utilizing a genetic algorithm (GA). Once the GA-NN/GA-FLC system is optimized, it will be able to generate the dynamically balanced gaits of the two-legged robot in the optimal sense.     

Human gait analysis based on biological motion and evolutionary computing

Human motion has already deeply affected many aspects of psychological and social research. On the other hand, because of the huge challenges and new dimensions of its increasingly extreme applications, this field remains an inspiring area in which to explore rich possibilities in the fields of artificial intelligence and bio-informatics. In this research, we investigated a novel approach to identify individuals based on their gaits. Furthermore, we investigated a new avenue of the research toward the biometric identification of humans that involves the classification of human gait using the power of genetic programming (GP). Moreover, we also propose an approach that applies collaborative filter using multiple evolved classifiers to address the challenges of non-determinism and insufficient generality of GP.     

Dynamically balanced optimal gaits of a ditch-crossing biped robot

This paper deals with the generation of dynamically balanced gaits of a ditch-crossing biped robot having seven degrees of freedom (DOFs). Three different approaches, namely analytical, neural network (NN)-based and fuzzy logic (FL)-based, have been developed to solve the said problem. The former deals with the analytical modeling of the ditch-crossing gait of a biped robot, whereas the latter two approaches aim to maximize the dynamic balance margin of the robot and minimize the power consumption during locomotion, after satisfying a constraint stating that the changes of joint torques should lie within a pre-specified value to ensure its smooth walking. It is to be noted that the power consumption and dynamic balance of the robot are also dependent on the position of the masses on various links and the trajectory followed by the hip joint. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to provide training off-line, to the NN-based and FL-based gait planners developed. Once optimized, the planners will be able to generate the optimal gaits on-line. Both the NN-based and FL-based gait planners are able to generate more balanced gaits and that, too, at the cost of lower power consumption compared to those yielded by the analytical approach. The NN-based and FL-based approaches are found to be more adaptive compared to the other approach in generating the gaits of the biped robot.     

Genetic programming incorporating biased mutation for evolution and adaptation of Snakebot

In this work we propose an approach for incorporating learning probabilistic context-sensitive grammar (LPCSG) in genetic programming (GP), employed for evolution and adaptation of locomotion gaits of a simulated snake-like robot (Snakebot). Our approach is derived from the original context-free grammar which usually expresses the syntax of genetic programs in canonical GP. Empirically obtained results verify that employing LPCSG contributes to the improvement of computational effort of both (i) the evolution of the fastest possible locomotion gaits for various fitness conditions and (ii) adaptation of these locomotion gaits to challenging environment and degraded mechanical abilities of the Snakebot.     

Multi-objective optimal path planning using elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithms

A multi-objective vehicle path planning method has been proposed to optimize path length, path safety, and path smoothness using the elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm—a well-known soft computing approach. Four different path representation schemes that begin their coding from the start point and move one grid at a time towards the destination point are proposed. Minimization of traveled distance and maximization of path safety are considered as objectives of this study while path smoothness is considered as a secondary objective. This study makes an extensive analysis of a number of issues related to the optimization of path planning task-handling of constraints associated with the problem, identifying an efficient path representation scheme, handling single versus multiple objectives, and evaluating the proposed algorithm on large-sized grids and having a dense set of obstacles. The study also compares the performance of the proposed algorithm with an existing GA-based approach. The evaluation of the proposed procedure against extreme conditions having a dense (as high as 91 %) placement of obstacles indicates its robustness and efficiency in solving complex path planning problems. The paper demonstrates the flexibility of evolutionary computing approaches in dealing with large-scale and multi-objective optimization problems.     

Nonlinear blind source separation using higher order statistics anda genetic algorithm

This paper presents a novel method for blindly separating unobservable independent source signals from their nonlinear mixtures. The demixing system is modeled using a parameterized neural network whose parameters can be determined under the criterion of independence of its outputs. Two cost functions based on higher order statistics are established to measure the statistical dependence of the outputs of the demixing system. The proposed method utilizes a genetic algorithm (GA) to minimize the highly nonlinear and nonconvex cost functions. The GA-based global optimization technique is able to obtain superior separation solutions to the nonlinear blind separation problem from any random initial values. Compared to conventional gradient-based approaches, the GA-based approach for blind source separation is characterized by high accuracy, robustness, and convergence rate. In particular, it is very suitable for the case of limited available data. Simulation results are discussed to demonstrate that the proposed GA-based approach is capable of separating independent sources from their nonlinear mixtures generated by a parametric separation model     

Design of a walking cyclic gait with single support phases and impacts for the locomotor system of a thirteen-link 3D biped using the parametric optimization

The development of an algorithm of parametric optimization to achieve optimal cyclic gaits in space for a thirteen-link 3D bipedal robot with twelve actuated joints is proposed. The cyclic walking gait is composed of successive single support phases and impulsive impacts with full contact between the sole of the feet and the ground. The evolution of the joints are chosen as spline functions. The parameters to define the spline functions are determined using an optimization under constraints on the dynamic balance, on the ground reactions, on the validity of impact, on the torques, and on the joints velocities. The cost functional considered is represented by the integral of the torques norm. The torques and the constraints are computed at sampling times during one step to evaluate the cost functional for a feasible walking gait. To improve the convergence of the optimization algorithm the explicit analytical gradient of the cost functional with respect to the optimization parameters is calculated using the recursive computation of torques. The algorithm is tested for a bipedal robot whose numerical walking results are presented.     

Dynamic hard-real-time scheduling using genetic algorithm for multiprocessor task with resource and timing constraints

Most publications in shop scheduling area focus on the static scheduling problems and seldom take into account the dynamic disturbances such as machine breakdown or new job arrivals. Motivated by the computational complexity of the scheduling problems, genetic algorithms (GAs) have been applied to improve both the efficiency and the effectiveness for NP-hard optimization problems. However, a pure GA-based approach tends to generate illegal schedules due to the crossover and the mutation operators. It is often the case that the gene expression or the genetic operators need to be specially tailored to fit the problem domain or some other schemes may be combined to solve the scheduling problems. This study presents a GA-based approach combined with a feasible energy function for multiprocessor scheduling problems with resource and timing constraints in dynamic real-time scheduling. Moreover, an easy-understood genotype is designed to generate legal schedules. The results of the experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach performs rapid convergence to address its applicability and generate good-quality schedules.     

Learning to solve planning problems efficiently by means of genetic programming.

Declarative problem solving, such as planning, poses interesting challenges for Genetic Programming (GP). There have been recent attempts to apply GP to planning that fit two approaches: (a) using GP to search in plan space or (b) to evolve a planner. In this article, we propose to evolve only the heuristics to make a particular planner more efficient. This approach is more feasible than (b) because it does not have to build a planner from scratch but can take advantage of already existing planning systems. It is also more efficient than (a) because once the heuristics have been evolved, they can be used to solve a whole class of different planning problems in a planning domain, instead of running GP for every new planning problem. Empirical results show that our approach (EvoCK) is able to evolve heuristics in two planning domains (the blocks world and the logistics domain) that improve PRODIGY4.0 performance. Additionally, we experiment with a new genetic operator --Instance-Based Crossover--that is able to use traces of the base planner as raw genetic material to be injected into the evolving population.     

An efficient control over human running animation with extension of planar hopper model

The most important goal of character animation is to efficiently control the motions of a character. Until now, many techniques have been proposed for human gait animation. Some techniques have been created to control the emotions in gaits such as ‘tired walking’ and ‘brisk walking’ by using parameter interpolation or motion data mapping. Since it is very difficult to automate the control over the emotion of a motion, the emotions of a character model have been generated by creative animators. This paper proposes a human running model based on a one‐legged planar hopper with a self‐balancing mechanism. The proposed technique exploits genetic programming to optimize movement and can be easily adapted to various character models. We extend the energy minimization technique to generate various motions in accordance with emotional specifications. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An approach to analyzing biped locomotion dynamics and designing robot locomotion controls

An approach to analyzing biped locomotion problems is presented. This approach applies the principles of Lagrangian dynamics to derive the equations of motion of locomotion gaits, state-variable techniques to analyze locomotion dynamics, and multivariable feedback to design locomotion controls. A robot model which has no knee joints or feet and is constrained to motion in the sagittal plane is chosen as a sufficiently simple model of a biped to illustrate the approach. A goal of the analysis is the design of a locomotion control for the robot which produces a walking gait having a velocity and stride length similar to those of a human walking gait. The principle feature of the approach is a much deeper understanding of the dynamics of biped locomotion than previous approaches have provided.     

Minimum-phase criterion on sampling time for sampled-data interval systems using genetic algorithms

In this paper, a genetic algorithm-based approach is proposed to determine a desired sampling-time range which guarantees minimum phase behaviour for the sampled-data system of an interval plant preceded by a zero-order hold (ZOH). Based on a worst-case analysis, the identification problem of the sampling-time range is first formulated as an optimization problem, which is subsequently solved under a GA-based framework incorporating two genetic algorithms. The first genetic algorithm searches both the uncertain plant parameters and sampling time to dynamically reduce the search range for locating the desired sampling-time boundaries based on verification results from the second genetic algorithm. As a result, the desired sampling-time range ensuring minimum phase behaviour of the sampled-data interval system can be evolutionarily obtained. Because of the time-consuming process that genetic algorithms generally exhibit, particularly the problem nature which requires undertaking a large number of evolution cycles, parallel computation for the proposed genetic algorithm is therefore proposed to accelerate the derivation process. Illustrated examples in this paper have demonstrated that the proposed GA-based approach is capable of accurately locating the boundaries of the desired sampling-time range.     

Modular neural network programming with genetic optimization

This study proposes a modular neural network (MNN) that is designed to accomplish both artificial intelligent prediction and programming. Each modular element adopts a high-order neural network to create a formula that considers both weights and exponents. MNN represents practical problems in mathematical terms using modular functions, weight coefficients and exponents. This paper employed genetic algorithms to optimize MNN parameters and designed a target function to avoid over-fitting. Input parameters were identified and modular function influences were addressed in manner that significantly improved previous practices. In order to compare the effectiveness of results, a reference study on high-strength concrete was adopted, which had been previously studied using a genetic programming (GP) approach. In comparison with GP, MNN calculations were more accurate, used more concise programmed formulas, and allowed the potential to conduct parameter studies. The proposed MNN is a valid alternative approach to prediction and programming using artificial neural networks.     

Development of wheel-less snake robot with two distinct gaits and gait transition capability

Snake robots are mostly designed based on single mode locomotion. However, single mode gait most likely could not work effectively when the robot is subject to an unstructured working environment with different measures of terrain complexity. As a solution, mixed mode locomotion is proposed in this paper by synchronizing two types of gaits known as serpentine and wriggler gaits used for non-constricted and narrow space environments, respectively, but for straight line locomotion only. A gait transition algorithm is developed to efficiently change the gait from one to another. This study includes the investigation on kinematics analysis followed by dynamics analysis while considering related structural constraints for both gaits. The approach utilizes the speed of the serpentine gait for open area locomotion and exploits the narrow space access capability of the wriggler gait. Hence, it can increase motion flexibility in view of the fact that the robot is able to change its mode of locomotion according to the working environment.     

基于自适应遗传算法的PID参数优化仿真研究

针对现有PID调节器的整定方法和遗传算法优化参数存在的问题，提出了一种自适应遗传算法用于PID参数寻优的方案。该算法采用了变群体规模和自动改变交叉概率、变异概率的措施，能提高算法的执行效率，收敛性较好，而且不易陷入局部最优解。以过热汽温控制系统为例，分别采用了简单遗传算法和改进遗传算法，对串级控制系统的PID参数寻优，仿真结果表明改进后的遗传算法具有较强的执行效率和很好寻优效果。     

Learning with case-injected genetic algorithms

This paper presents a new approach to acquiring and using problem specific knowledge during a genetic algorithm (GA) search. A GA augmented with a case-based memory of past problem solving attempts learns to obtain better performance over time on sets of similar problems. Rather than starting anew on each problem, we periodically inject a GA's population with appropriate intermediate solutions to similar previously solved problems. Perhaps, counterintuitively, simply injecting solutions to previously solved problems does not produce very good results. We provide a framework for evaluating this GA-based machine-learning system and show experimental results on a set of design and optimization problems. These results demonstrate the performance gains from our approach and indicate that our system learns to take less time to provide quality solutions to a new problem as it gains experience from solving other similar problems in design and optimization.     

Adaptive multi-parent crossover GA for feature optimization in epileptic seizure identification

EEG signal analysis involves multi-frequency non-stationary brain waves from multiple channels. Segmenting these signals, extracting features to obtain the important properties of the signal and classification are key aspects of detecting epileptic seizures. Despite the introduction of several techniques, it is very challenging when multiple EEG channels are involved. When many channels exist, a spatial filter is required to eliminate noise and extract relevant information. This adds a new dimension of complexity to the frequency feature space. In order to stabilize the classifier of the channels, feature selection is very important. Furthermore, and to improve the performance of a classifier, more data is required from EEG channels for complex problems. The increase of such data poses some challenges as it becomes difficult to identify the subject dependent bands when the channels increase. Hence, an automated process is required for such identification.The proposed approach in this work tends to tackle the multiple EEG channels problem by segmenting the EEG signals in the frequency domain based on changing spikes rather than the traditional time based windowing approach. While to reduce the overall dimensionality and preserve the class-dependent features an optimization approach is used. This process of selecting an optimal feature subset is an optimization problem. Thus, we propose an adaptive multi-parent crossover Genetic Algorithm (GA) for optimizing the features used in classifying epileptic seizures. The GA-based approach is used to optimize the various features obtained. It encodes the temporal and spatial filter estimates and optimize the feature selection with respect to the classification error. The classification was done using a Support Vector Machine (SVM).The proposed technique was evaluated using the publicly available epileptic seizure data from the machine learning repository of the UCI center for machine learning and intelligent systems. The proposed approach outperforms other ones and achieved a high level of accuracy. These results, indicate the ability of a multi-parent crossover GA in optimizing the feature selection process in EEG classification.