Introduction to
Micromouse
WVU IEEE Student Branch
9/24/2014
Stephen Itschner
What is a Micromouse?

Autonomous robot able to find
its way through a maze in the
shortest possible time

Maze is a fixed size, but
configuration is unknown until
the competition

Cannot receive any external
input or control (limited to
onboard hardware and
processing)

Robot no more than 25cm x
25cm
Many Possible Designs
This Mouse Has Solved the Maze
How to Win
Get to the
center squares in
the shortest
time
1 of the 4
corners is the
starting block
The Only Info Going In:

Maze size is 16 squares by 16 squares

Each square is 18cm X 18cm (16.8 cm
between walls)

Walls are 5cm high, red on top, white
on sides (IR reflective paint)

Floor is black (IR absorbing paint)

Goal will always be to reach the center
4 squares
Rules

The robot cannot:

Burn through, cut through, fly over, or climb over the walls

Damage the maze in any way

Leave parts of itself behind

Be powered by any flammable substance

The clock starts when the robot leaves the starting square and stops when it
enters the goal square, measured from the front edge

Each robot gets 10 minutes to run the maze as many times as desired

The official time is the fastest run completed within the 10 minute period

Every time the mouse is touched after being set down is a 30 second penalty
added to the fastest run

Slow robots that solve the maze place higher than fast robots that do not
Cash Prizes (vary by year)


Option 1: built from a commercial OTS kit

$300 1st

$200 2nd

$100 3rd
Option 2: built from scratch

$600 1st

$500 2nd

$300 3rd
An Expert Micromouse, Fast Run Only:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=2&cad
=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCUQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fw
atch%3Fv%3DCLwICJKV4dw&ei=WRwjVMjhH4u3yATlhYKAAQ&usg=AFQjCNG2lzY
Ru1DWSXm-Bf7lTsi5c8iGvQ&bvm=bv.76180860,d.aWw
Path Forward for WVU IEEE
Scratch Team



Currently own a micromouse made
from scratch
Pet project of the presenter since
~Sept. 2013

Order known working hardware

Program the maze exploration and
solving

Pros:
Needs to be debugged and
programmed


Kit Team
Optimizations to hardware
permissible
Full hardware and design brief
available for those interested


Known, working hardware

Online support

Potential for finding source code
online
Cons:

Lower prize

Other teams have same advantages