Tareq Hamadneh, Belal Batiha, Oqlah Al-Refai, Ibraheem Kasim Ibraheem, Aseel Smerat, Zeinab Montazeri, Mohammad Dehghani, Widi Aribowo, Ali Mahdi Zalzala, Riyadh Kareem Jawad, Asaad Abdul Malik Madhloom Al-Salih, Mahmood Anees Ahmed, Kei Eguchi
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. © This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. License details: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Department of Mathematics, Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, 11733, Jordan; Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, Jadara University, Irbid, 21110, Jordan; Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Zarqa University, Zarqa, 13132, Jordan; Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, 10001, Iraq; Faculty of Educational Sciences, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, 19328, Jordan; Centre for Research Impact & Outcome, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Punjab, Rajpura, 140401, India; Computer Technologies Engineering, Mazaya University College, Nasiriyah, Iraq; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, 7155713876, Iran; Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, East Java, Surabaya, 60231, Indonesia; Department of Electronics and Communication, College of Engineering, Uruk University, Baghdad, 10001, Iraq; Department of Medical Instrumentations Techniques Engineering, Al-Rasheed University College, Baghdad, 10001, Iraq; Department of Computer Engineering Techniques, Al-Nukhba University College, Baghdad, 10013, Iraq; Medical Instrumentation Techniques Engineering, Department College of medical techniques, Al-Farahidi University, Baghdad, 10001, Iraq; Department of Information Electronics, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Japan
