An Improved MAP-Elites Algorithm via Rotational Invariant Operator in Differential Evolution for Continuous Optimization

In this paper, we propose a new approach that enhances the continuous optimization performance of the MAP-Elites algorithm. The existing self-referencing MAP-Elites algorithm employed the “DE/rand/1/bin” operator from the differential evolution algorithm, which, due to its lack of rotational invariance, led to a degradation in optimization performance when there were high correlations among variables. The proposed algorithm replaces the “DE/rand/1/bin” operator with the “DE/current-to-rand/1” operator. This operator, possessing rotational invariance, ensures robust performance even in cases where there are high correlations among variables. Experimental results confirm that the proposed algorithm performs better than the comparison algorithms.