Micro Mouse
Micro Mouse
Introduction
In recent years the real challenge has been
This case study focuses on a micromouse – a small the control of the robot. There are times when
autonomous robot which runs through a designated the difference between winning and losing is
maze. There are several annual international contests only 1/1000 of a second.”
for students and robot enthusiasts challenging them to
improve the intelligence and speed of their robots. Robot Masazuku Utsunomiya
mice are advanced, custom built devices that are built to
milimeters and grams precisely, reach speeds above 3 m/s At the top levels the contest is fierce, forcing participants to
and are able to solve the maze in just 5 to 7 seconds. find the balance between the on-board processing power,
speed and manoeuvrability, and minimising weight to the
RLS magnetic encoders are used because of their last gram.
miniature and lightweight design and their top performance
in accuracy and high speed feedback. Masakazu Utsunomiya, long-time competitor on All Japan
Micromouse Contest, has been contributing to this contest
for more than 13 years and has up to today built 18
Designing a robot mouse to win micromice.
A robot mouse must find its own way through a maze, with »The robot is a wheel differential vehicle and is driven by a
a different and unpredictable layout between the start point DC motor. It has a microcontroller and sensors located on
in one corner and the centre point. It has several runs, with all four sides to detect walls and avoid them. It also has a
the contest scored through a combination of total time and gyro sensor that detects the angular velocity of the robot,«
the time for the fastest run. explains Utsunomiya.
A associate company
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A associate company
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A associate company