| Article ID: | iaor20051217 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Volume: | 36 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Start Page Number: | 237 |
| End Page Number: | 247 |
| Publication Date: | Apr 2004 |
| Journal: | Engineering Optimization |
| Authors: | Louis Sushil J. |
| Keywords: | learning, engineering |
Genetic algorithms (GAs) augmented with a case-based memory of past design problem-solving atttempts are used to obtain better performance over time on sets of similar design problems. Rather than starting anew on each design, a GA's population is periodically injected with appropriate intermediate design solutions to similar, previously solved design problems. Experimental results on configuration design problems: the design of parity checker and adder circuits, demonstrate the performance gains from the approach and show that the system learns to take less time to provide quality solutions to a new design problem as it gains experience from solving other similar design problems.