Abstract
Evolutionary algorithms have been shown to be very successful in solving multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs). However, their performance often deteriorates when solving MOPs with irregular Pareto fronts. To remedy this issue, a large body of research has been performed in recent years and many new algorithms have been proposed. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of the research on MOPs with irregular Pareto fronts. We start with a brief introduction to the basic concepts, followed by a summary of the benchmark test problems with irregular problems, an analysis of the causes of the irregularity, and real-world optimization problems with irregular Pareto fronts. Then, a taxonomy of the existing methodologies for handling irregular problems is given and representative algorithms are reviewed with a discussion of their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, open challenges are pointed out and a few promising future directions are suggested.