The HAL900 micromouse robot participated in the APEC 2024 micromouse competition. (Image Credit: Micromouse/Youtube)
Anyone else feel the need to compete in this?
For years, competitors have participated in Micromouse events to build a small, autonomous robotic mouse that runs through a maze without relying on external guidance. Participants must reach the center of the maze (a square) in the fastest time possible to win the race. They also cannot make any programming updates to their robot after revealing the layout at the start of the event.
Each robot fits in a frame measuring 25 centimeters or less and uses algorithms and sensors, like LiDAR and gyroscopes, for wall detection while finding the best route. Micromice cannot climb walls or fly over them, making the maze-solving challenge even more difficult. Robotic advancements over the years have resulted in improved and quicker maze-solving abilities.
The maze in this event has free-standing walls with different paths that make wall-following tactics difficult to tackle. The micromouse often has advanced algorithms, such as depth-first search or flood fill, to detect the fastest path toward the center. The depth-first search algorithm finds a solution by exploring paths deeply before backtracking. Meanwhile, the flood fill algorithm maps distances to the goal and updates paths according to proximity.
Since the first Micromouse event in 1977, maze-solving strategies advanced with techniques involving flood fill variations. Competitors designed their robots to halt before turning a corner. Eventually, a participant realized that narrow robots could cut corners at 45 degrees, allowing them to move diagonally and complete a race faster.
Shorter paths aren’t the quickest ways to win the race. That’s because turning corners reduces speed. Choosing a longer path with fewer corners can also lead to faster race time finishes. However, additional speed is only ideal if there’s some way to maintain control. The majority of micromouse robots feature fans that enhance traction, enabling them to execute tighter turns with better control. With this implementation, the robots can move up to seven meters per second with corner forces of 6G. Dust may even cause control issues, and participants clean the wheels with tape to avoid that issue.
Several racers participated in the APEC 2024 micromouse competition. One of the robots, the HAL900 micromouse, achieved one of its fastest race completion times. HAL900 completed its first maze run in 57 seconds and the second in just 17 seconds.
More impressively, Singapore’s Ng Beng Kiat set the world record for the fastest micromouse robot to complete a race. In 2011, the robot took 3.921 seconds to finish the maze.
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