Multi-objective exponential distribution optimizer (MOEDO): a novel math-inspired multi-objective algorithm for global optimization and real-world engineering design problems

Abstract The exponential distribution optimizer (EDO) represents a heuristic approach, capitalizing on exponential distribution theory to identify global solutions for complex optimization challenges. This study extends the EDO's applicability by introducing its multi-objective version, the multi-objective EDO (MOEDO), enhanced with elite non-dominated sorting and crowding distance mechanisms. An information feedback mechanism (IFM) is integrated into MOEDO, aiming to balance exploration and exploitation, thus improving convergence and mitigating the stagnation in local optima, a notable limitation in traditional approaches. Our research demonstrates MOEDO's superiority over renowned algorithms such as MOMPA, NSGA-II, MOAOA, MOEA/D and MOGNDO. This is evident in 72.58% of test scenarios, utilizing performance metrics like GD, IGD, HV, SP, SD and RT across benchmark test collections (DTLZ, ZDT and various constraint problems) and five real-world engineering design challenges. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test (WRST) further confirms MOEDO as a competitive multi-objective optimization algorithm, particularly in scenarios where existing methods struggle with balancing diversity and convergence efficiency. MOEDO's robust performance, even in complex real-world applications, underscores its potential as an innovative solution in the optimization domain. The MOEDO source code is available at: https://github.com/kanak02/MOEDO .