Micromouse Competition: The Oldest Robotics Race

The Micromouse competition, held annually since 1977, is a robotics race where tiny robots navigate a maze in the shortest time possible.

Origins and Concept

The concept of Micromouse originated from Claude Shannon’s 1952 electronic mouse, Theseus, which could solve a maze using a computer built into the maze itself.

Competition and Strategies

In Micromouse competitions, tiny robots navigate complex mazes to reach a goal, with the fastest time winning. Strategies employed by Micromice include learning the maze on the first run, using wall-following, depth-first search, or breadth-first search algorithms, and the flood fill method.

Flood Fill Algorithm

The flood fill algorithm involves marking the distance from every square to the goal and following the trail of decreasing numbers to reach the goal.

Evolution and Innovations

The Micromouse competition has continued to evolve over the years, with innovations driving progress, including the introduction of diagonals, infrared sensors, DC motors, and gyroscopes. Advances in technology have enabled more precise navigation and overcome physical issues such as dust on wheel friction.

Modern Micromice

Modern Micromice are equipped with vacuum fans, achieving centripetal acceleration of up to six Gs, and navigate mazes at incredible speeds of up to seven meters per second.

Design and Collaboration

Onshape, a cloud-based CAD program, enables real-time collaboration on designs, making it ideal for businesses, open-source projects, and hobbyists. It allows multiple users to work together on the same design, making it a convenient and powerful tool for designing and building hardware products.

Term	Definition	Example Usage
Micromouse	A robotics race where tiny robots navigate a maze in the shortest time possible.	The Micromouse competition, held annually since 1977, is a robotics race where tiny robots navigate a maze in the shortest time possible.
Flood Fill Algorithm	A method of marking the distance from every square to the goal and following the trail of decreasing numbers to reach the goal.	The flood fill algorithm involves marking the distance from every square to the goal and following the trail of decreasing numbers to reach the goal.
Onshape	A cloud-based CAD program that enables real-time collaboration on designs.	Onshape, a cloud-based CAD program, enables real-time collaboration on designs, making it ideal for businesses, open-source projects, and hobbyists.
Depth-First Search	A strategy employed by Micromice to navigate the maze by exploring as far as possible along each branch before backtracking.	Strategies employed by Micromice include learning the maze on the first run, using wall-following, depth-first search, or breadth-first search algorithms, and the flood fill method.
Breadth-First Search	A strategy employed by Micromice to navigate the maze by exploring all the nearest nodes first before moving to the next level.	Strategies employed by Micromice include learning the maze on the first run, using wall-following, depth-first search, or breadth-first search algorithms, and the flood fill method.
Wall-Following	A strategy employed by Micromice to navigate the maze by following the walls of the maze.	Strategies employed by Micromice include learning the maze on the first run, using wall-following, depth-first search, or breadth-first search algorithms, and the flood fill method.
Centripetal Acceleration	The acceleration of an object towards its center of rotation.	Modern Micromice are equipped with vacuum fans, achieving centripetal acceleration of up to six Gs, and navigate mazes at incredible speeds of up to seven meters per second.
Diagonals	A feature introduced in Micromouse competitions allowing robots to move in diagonal directions.	The Micromouse competition has continued to evolve over the years, with innovations driving progress, including the introduction of diagonals, infrared sensors, DC motors, and gyroscopes.
Gyroscopes	A device used to measure the orientation and rotation of an object.	The Micromouse competition has continued to evolve over the years, with innovations driving progress, including the introduction of diagonals, infrared sensors, DC motors, and gyroscopes.
Infrared Sensors	A device used to detect and measure the distance of an object using infrared light.	The Micromouse competition has continued to evolve over the years, with innovations driving progress, including the introduction of diagonals, infrared sensors, DC motors, and gyroscopes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMQbHMgK2rw

Micromouse Competition: The Oldest Robotics Race

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The Use of the Present Perfect Tense to Describe Past Events with a Connection to the Present

Explanation

The present perfect tense is used to describe an action that started in the past and has a connection to the present. It is often used to talk about an event that happened at an unspecified time in the past and has a result or influence on the present. In the given text, the present perfect tense is used to describe the evolution of the Micromouse competition, highlighting its progress and innovations over the years.

Quiz

1. The Micromouse competition ____________________ since 1977. A) has been held has held held 2. The concept of Micromouse ____________________ from Claude Shannon’s 1952 electronic mouse. 3. The Micromouse competition ____________________ over the years, with innovations driving progress. 4. Advances in technology ____________________ more precise navigation and overcome physical issues. 5. Onshape, a cloud-based CAD program, ____________________ real-time collaboration on designs.

Answer Key

1. a) has been held 2. a) has originated 3. a) has continued to evolve 4. a) have enabled 5. b) enables