Rules & Regulation

1. Introduction

1.1 The Challenge of the competition is for an autonomous (self-directed) robot 'mouse' or
called The Hungry Mouse race against the clock to collect as much as possible within a 8 cell by
8 cell maze. The fruit photos are placed randomly on the floor of the maze.

1.2 The mouse maze shall comprise 8 x 8 multiples of an 23cm x 23cm unit square (Figure 1)
(subject to +-0.5cm error). The walls constituting the mouse maze shall be 5cm high and 1.2 cm
thick. Passageways between the walls shall be 23cm wide (subject to +-0.5cm error). The
outside wall shall enclose the entire mouse maze.

1.3 The side of the mouse maze walls shall be white, and the top of the walls shall normally be
red. The floor of the mouse maze shall be made of MDF and finished with a matt variety of black
paint (blackboard paint). The coating on the top and side of the wall shall be selected to reflect,
and the coating on the floor shall be selected to absorb, visible and infra-red light.

1.4 The start of the mouse maze shall be located at one of the four corners. The starting square
shall have walls on three sides. There is no predetermined destination as the mouse are
allowed to roam within the maze in a predetermined time.

1.5 Square posts, each 23cm x 23cm x 5cm high, shall be placed at the four corners of each
unit square (the lattice points).

1.6 The dimensions of the mouse maze shall be accurate to within +-0.5cm error, whichever is
less. Assembly joints on the mouse maze floor shall not involve steps or gaps of greater than
1mm. The change of slope at an assembly join shall not be greater than 5 degrees. Gaps
between the walls and posts shall not be greater than 1mm.

1.7 A start sensor may be placed at the boundary between the starting unit square and the next
unit square.

1.8 Discovery of fruit photo:

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  The robots are allowed to roam randomly within the maze.
 Upon discovery of the fruit photo:
- The judge shall appoint mark for one fruit photo.
 The robot shall continue to move for the next discovery.

Multiple paths to the maze are allowed and are to be expected. Points will be given to
the mouse that explored random fruit photo within the maze, located at the floor of the
maze. Points will be calculated once for each fruit photo.
2. The mouse

2.1 A mouse is subject to the following size constraints - maximum width 20cm, maximum
length 20cm. There is no height limit. A mouse must be completely self contained and must
receive no outside assistance.

2.2 The method of wall sensing is at the discretion of the builder; however, the mouse must not
exert a force on any wall likely to cause damage.

2.3 The power source will normally be batteries and electric motors.

2.4 If the judges, consider that a mouse has a high risk of damaging the maze it will be
disqualified from the competition.

2.5 The mouse must negotiate the mouse maze; it must not climb or jump over the walls of the
mouse maze.

2.6 Nothing may be deposited in the mouse maze.

2.7 Each mouse may be fitted with a suitable hook or look, for lifting the mouse out from the
center of the maze, should this prove necessary. Contestants may not be allowed to climb over
the mouse maze.

3. The competition

3.1 The time taken to travel from the start is called the "run" time. The total time taken from the
first activation of the mouse until the start of each run is also measured. If the mouse requires
any manual assistance at any time during the contest, it is considered 'touched'. Scoring is
based on these two parameters.

3.2 Each mouse is allowed a maximum of 3 minutes to perform. This may be reduced if time is
limited. The judges have the discretion to request a mouse to retire in the event that it seems
unlikely to perform any action in the allocated time.

3.3 If the mouse stops or having moving difficulty, it may be lifted out, manually, and restarted
by the handler, but the time remains within 3 minutes and the fruits calculation restarted to zero.

3.4 The time for each run (run time) shall be measured from the moment the mouse leaves the
start square.

3.5 If the judges consider that a mouse has a high risk of damaging the maze it will be
disqualified from the competition. Time on the mouse maze shall be measured from the time the
mouse is first activated.

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3.6 The time taken to negotiate the mouse maze shall be measured manually by the contest
officials.

3.7 The starting procedure of the mouse shall be simple and must not offer a choice of
strategies to the handler. The starting procedure shall be briefed to the judges when the mouse
is registered on the day of the contest.

3.8 The mouse handler is given 1 minute, from the moment the mouse is required to start, to
make adjustments to the mouse sensors (calibration).

3.9 If a mouse "gets into trouble" the handlers can ask the judge for permission to abandon the
run and restart the mouse at the start square. A mouse may not be restarted merely because it
has taken a wrong turning. Time will not be reset.

3.10 The judges will use their discretion to award to prizes, which in addition to the major prizes
may include prizes for specific classes of mouse -e.g. lowest cost, most ingenious, best
presented, most entertaining etc. A tie-breaker rematch may be conducted between two teams
which share the same Score and Time.

3.11 Before the mouse maze is unveiled, the mice must be accepted and kept in view of the
contest officials. The handlers will place the mice at the start under the officials' instructions.

3.12 The judges reserve the right to make changes to any of the above in the interest of fair play
and sportsmanship, and to ensure that all competitors have and enjoyable competition. In the
event of ambiguity, the judges' interpretation of any clauses of the rules shall prevail.

Example Scoreboard

Scenario 1: All robots discovered all fruits within the time

Team Time (min) Objects Score Verdict

Alpha 2 10 10 First
Gamma 2.5 10 10 Second
Beta 3 10 10 Third
Eta 3 10 10 Fourth

Judge's verdict: Alpha First, Gamma Second. Since there is a tie between Beta and Eta,
tiebreaker rematch between the two was done to identify fourth and Third.

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Scenario 2: All robots used up all the time

Team Time (min) Objects Score Verdict

Alpha 3 9 9 First
Gamma 3 8 8 Second
Beta 3 7 7 Third
Eta 3 7 7 Fourth

Judge's verdict: Alpha First, Gamma Second. Since there is a tie between Beta and Eta,
tiebreaker rematch between the two was done to identify fourth and Third.

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