1.1. In this contest the contestant or team of contestants design and build small self contained

robots (micro mice) to negotiate a maze in the shortest possible time.

2.1. All contestants must be an undergraduate IEEE student member at a Region 6

school from within the Area of Region 6 in which contest they will compete at the

time of entry in the MicroMouse contest. Any student who graduates anytime

during the Fall-Spring academic year in which the contest is held is eligible to enter

the contest. A student graduating after competing in the contest still remains eligible

to compete in succeeding Area, Region, and higher contests as an undergraduate

below, providing they meet all other requirements.

2.2. All contestants must be an IEEE Student Members or must have submitted an

application for membership (and have it approved by their Student Branch

Counselor) prior to entry in the Student Branch and/or Chapter Contest.

2.3. The MicroMouse entry may be the effort of an individual or a team. In the case of a

team it should be possible to demonstrate that each individual made a significant

contribution and that they are all IEEE members.

2.4. A team may consist of up to five people. A team of four or five people may include

no more than two graduate students. A team of two or three people may have no

more than one graduate student. A team consisting of a single graduate student is

not allowed.

2.5. All entrants to the Student Branch Area contests must declare their intention to enter

the contest at least 2 weeks before the date of the Area contest, that is before April

(s) by email, (see the names and addresses at the end of this document).

2.6. If the total number of declared mice, from all schools, is less than the number of

eligible schools to compete in that Area, all shall be eligible to compete in the area

contest. Two or more mice of near identical design from the same school are not

allowed. If more mice than the number of eligible schools to compete are entered in

the contest (i.e., four mice from the same school), a qualifying competition will be

held just before the actual contest. A qualifying contest might involve, for example,

having the mice traverse a specific numbers of cells and the time of the pass.

3.1. A MicroMouse shall be self-contained (no remote controls). A MicroMouse shall

not use an energy source employing a combustion process.

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3.2. A MicroMouse shall not leave any part of its body behind while negotiating the

maze.

3.3. A MicroMouse shall not jump over, fly over, climb, scratch, cut, burn, mark,

damage, or destroy the walls of the maze.

3.4. A MicroMouse shall not be larger either in length or in width, than 25 centimeters.

The dimensions of a MicroMouse that changes its geometry during a run shall not

be greater than 25 cm x 25 cm. There are no restrictions on the height of a

MicroMouse.

3.5. The total cost of the mouse (in materials, labor is assumed to be free) may not

exceed $500.00. This is judged on actual cost and market value of any donated

materials used in the mouse. An individual or a team must have the description of

components and their market prices at the time of contest to present it at judges’

quotes to confirm unusual prices.

3.6. Since market values may vary from source to source, contestants are advised to

provide catalogs or quotes to confirm unusual prices. The judge's decision shall be

final in these matters.

3.7. Any violation of these rules will constitute immediate disqualification from the

contest and ineligibility for the associated prizes.

4.1. The maze is composed of multiples of an 18 cm x 18 cm unit square. The maze

comprises 16 x 16 unit squares. The walls of the maze are 5 cm high and 1.2 cm

4.2. The sides of the maze walls are white, the tops of the walls are red, and the floor is

black. The maze is made of wood, finished with non-gloss paint.

4.2.1. WARNING: Do not assume the walls are consistently white, or that the tops

of the walls are consistently red, or that the floor is consistently black. Fading

may occur; parts from different mazes may be used. Do not assume the floor

provides a given amount of friction. It is simply painted plywood and may be

quite slick. The maze floor may be constructed using multiple sheets of

plywood. Therefore there may be a seam between the two sheets on which any

low-hanging parts of a mouse may snag.

4.3. The start of the maze is located at one of the four corners. The start square is

bounded on three sides by walls. The start line is located between the first and

second squares. That is, as the mouse exits the corner square, the time starts. The

destination goal is the four cells at the center of the maze. At the center of this zone

is a post, 20 cm high and each side 2.5 cm. (This post may be removed if requested.)

The destination square has only one entrance.

4.4. Small square zones (posts), each 1.2 cm x 1.2 cm, at the four corners of each unit

square are called lattice points. The maze is so constituted that there is at least one

wall at each lattice point.

4.5. Multiple paths to the destination square are allowed and are to be expected. The

destination square will be positioned so that a wall-hugging mouse will NOT be

able to find it.

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5.1. Each contesting MicroMouse is allocated a total of 10 minutes of access to the maze

from the moment the contest administrator acknowledges the contestant(s) and

grants access to the maze. Any time used to adjust a mouse between runs is

included in the 10 minutes. Each run (from the start cell to the center zone) in

which a mouse successfully reaches the destination square is given a run time. The

minimum run time shall be the mouse’s official time. First prize goes to the mouse

again, that the 10-minute timer continues even between runs. Mice that do not enter

the center square will be ranked by the maximum number of cells they

consecutively transverse without being touched. All mice who enter the center

square within their 10 minute allotment are ranked higher than those who do not

enter the center square.

5.2. Each run shall be made from the starting square. The operator may abort a run at

any time. If an operator touches the MicroMouse during a run, it is deemed aborted,

and the mouse must be removed from the maze. If a mouse has already crossed the

finish line, it may be removed at any time without affecting the run time of that run.

seconds will be added to the mouse’s best time.

5.3. After the maze is disclosed, the operator shall not feed information on the maze into

5.4. The illumination, temperature, and humidity of the room shall be those of an

ambient environment. (40 to 120 degrees F, 0% to 95% humidity, non-condensing).

incandescent light, or fluorescent light that may be present at the contest site.

5.5. The run timer will start when front edge of the mouse crosses the start line and stops

when the front edge of the mouse crosses the finish line. The start line is at the

boundary between the starting unit square and the next unit square clockwise. The

finish line is at the entrance to the destination square.

5.6. Every time the mouse leaves the start square, a new run begins. If the mouse has not

entered the destination square, the previous run is aborted. For example, if a mouse

re-enters the start square (before entering the destination square) on a run, that run is

aborted, and a new run will be deemed begun, with a new time that starts when the

starting square is exited.

5.7. The mouse may, after reaching the destination square, continue to navigate the

maze, for as long as their total maze time allows.

5.8. If a mouse continues to navigate the maze after reaching the destination square, the

time taken will not count toward any run. Of course, the 10-minute timer continues

to run. When the mouse next leaves the start square, a new run will start. Thus, a

mouse may and should make several runs without being touched by the operator. It

should make its own way back to the beginning to do so.

5.9. The judges reserve the right to ask the operator for an explanation of the

MicroMouse. The judges also reserve the right to stop a run, declare

disqualification, or give instructions as appropriate (e.g., if the structure of the maze

is jeopardized by continuing operation of the mouse).

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5.10. A contestant may not feed information on the maze to the MicroMouse.

Therefore, changing ROMs or downloading programs is NOT allowed once the

5.11. Change switch settings (e.g. to select algorithms)

5.12. Replace batteries between runs

5.13. Adjust sensors

5.14. Change speed settings

5.15. Make repairs

5.16. However, a contestant may not alter a mouse in a manner that alters its

weight (e.g. removal of a bulky sensor array or switching to lighter batteries to get

better speed after mapping the maze is not allowed). The judges shall arbitrate.

5.17. There is only one official IEEE MicroMouse contest each year in each Area

or Region. All mice, whether or not they have competed in previous contests,

compete on an equal basis. All mice must be presented to the judges by the original

design team, which must meet all other qualifications. First prize will go to that

mouse which travels from the start square to the destination square in the least

amount of time. Second and third prizes will be awarded to the second and third

will be ranked by the maximum number of cells they consecutively transverse

without being touched.

5.18. A rotating trophy is awarded to the first place mouse. Verbal recognition and

certificates will be given to the top three mice among those who are competing for

the first time. If you and your mouse are first-time contestants, be sure to so

stipulate when you register for the contest and notify the contest judge at the time of

the contest.

5.19. If requested, a break will be provided for a mouse after any run if another

mouse is waiting to compete. The 10-minute timer will stop. When the mouse is reentered,

the 10-minute timer will continue. The judges shall arbitrate on the granting

of such breaks.

Contacts:

Dr. Emma Regentova, coordinator, Micro-Mouse Competition, Tel: (702) 895-3187; Email:

regent@ee.unlv.edu

Dr. Vasu Atluri, IEEE Region 6 SWA Chair, Tel: (480) 227-8411 (Cell); Email:

vpatluri@ieee.org

Dr. Joseph Wu, IEEE Tucson Section Chair, Tel: (520) 746-7456; Email: joewu@ieee.org

Dr. Bob Bond, Student Paper Contest Coordinator, Tel: (505) 835-5411; Email:

rhb@ee.nmt.edu