Open Access

ARTICLE

Barber Optimization Algorithm: A New Human-Based Approach for Solving Optimization Problems

Tareq Hamadneh¹, Belal Batiha², Omar Alsayyed³, Widi Aribowo⁴, Zeinab Montazeri⁵, Mohammad Dehghani^5,*, Frank Werner^6,*, Haider Ali⁷, Riyadh Kareem Jawad⁸, Ibraheem Kasim Ibraheem⁹, Kei Eguchi¹⁰

1 Department of Mathematics, Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, 11733, Jordan
2 Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, Jadara University, Irbid, 21110, Jordan
3 Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, The Hashemite University, P.O. Box 330127, Zarqa, 13133, Jordan
4 Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, 60231, Indonesia
5 Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, 7155713876, Iran
6 Faculty of Mathematics, Otto-von-Guericke University, P.O. Box 4120, Magdeburg, 39016, Germany
7 Department of Cybersecurity and Cloud computing, Technical Engineering, Uruk University, Baghdad, 10001, Iraq
8 Department of Medical Instrumentations Techniques Engineering, Al-Rasheed University College, Baghdad, 10001, Iraq
9 Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, 10001, Iraq
10 Department of Information Electronics, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, 8110295, Japan

* Corresponding Authors: Mohammad Dehghani. Email: ; Frank Werner. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advanced Bio-Inspired Optimization Algorithms and Applications)

Computers, Materials & Continua 2025, 83(2), 2677-2718. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2025.064087

Received 04 February 2025; Accepted 17 March 2025; Issue published 16 April 2025

Abstract

In this study, a completely different approach to optimization is introduced through the development of a novel metaheuristic algorithm called the Barber Optimization Algorithm (BaOA). Inspired by the human interactions between barbers and customers, BaOA captures two key processes: the customer’s selection of a hairstyle and the detailed refinement during the haircut. These processes are translated into a mathematical framework that forms the foundation of BaOA, consisting of two critical phases: exploration, representing the creative selection process, and exploitation, which focuses on refining details for optimization. The performance of BaOA is evaluated using 52 standard benchmark functions, including unimodal, high-dimensional multimodal, fixed-dimensional multimodal, and the Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC) 2017 test suite. This comprehensive assessment highlights BaOA’s ability to balance exploration and exploitation effectively, resulting in high-quality solutions. A comparative analysis against twelve widely known metaheuristic algorithms further demonstrates BaOA’s superior performance, as it consistently delivers better results across most benchmark functions. To validate its real-world applicability, BaOA is tested on four engineering design problems, illustrating its capability to address practical challenges with remarkable efficiency. The results confirm BaOA’s versatility and reliability as an optimization tool. This study not only introduces an innovative algorithm but also establishes its effectiveness in solving complex problems, providing a foundation for future research and applications in diverse scientific and engineering domains.

---

Keywords

---