A Transgenic Algorithm for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows

In this paper, we present a transgenic computer algorithm based on the transformation mechanism of horizontal gene transfer to solve the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW). The VRPTW is the problem of minimising transportation costs while satisfying some restrictions as the time, vehicle capacity and the demand of each client. Horizontal gene artificial transfer is a form of genetic engineering. The transgenic algorithm is considered as a horizontal gene transfer algorithm, a meta-heuristics algorithm, or a bio-inspired algorithm based on horizontal gene transfer and symbiogenesis. The transgenic algorithm uses a data-mining technique (clustering) to group similar characteristics of the VRPTW instance to obtain the initial population (one VRPTW individual), a genetic transfer phase inspired by the transference of genetic codes of a bacterial gene (depot) contained in mechanisms for the horizontal gene transfer, and an intelligent mutation operator inspired by symbiogenesis called symbion operator. The transgenic algorithm (lateral gene transfer algorithm, or horizontal gene transfer algorithm) involves deliberate genetic modification rather than evolutionary aspects. We demonstrate that it is possible to deploy a transgenic algorithm based on horizontal gene transfer to solve (in fewer generations and less time) the VRPTW than the results of the genetic algorithm.