Outline of Micromouse 2003

Sponsored by: New Technology Foundation
Co-sponsored by: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) etc.(scheduled)
Special cooperation: NAMCO Ltd.
Cooperation: Related organizations and companies

Micromouse is a competition for self-contained intelligent robots, in which robots compete against each other to probe and solve a maze independently in the shortest time. First proposed by IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of the U.S.A.) in 1977, Micromouse was introduced to Japan in 1980, and since then national Micromouse competitions have been held annually in Japan. Following the International Micromouse Competition which took place at the International Exposition, Tsukuba, Japan, in 1985, Micromouse rapidly became familiar around the world, and high-tech Micromouse robots have been built in many countries. Over the years, Micromouse in Japan added Japanese-specific contests such as the introductory Robotrace as well as Microclipper with manipulators, and this year the competition will celebrate its 24th anniversary. Being the pioneer of all the various kinds of robotics competitions held today, Micromouse has been acclaimed as one of the most effective educational tools for the studies of A.I.-applied robots. This year’s national Micromouse competition in Japan will be held at the Panasonic Center with the special cooperation of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., which owns this facility. We look forward to receiving your application!

21 Nov.(Fri.)

13:00-17:00  Trial run for every contestant except for junior classes (Contestants are free to join this trial run.)

22 Nov.(Sat.)

 9:30-15:00  Micromouse Contest Freshman class

 9:30-15:00  Micromouse Contest Expert class (Preliminary)

15:00-17:00  Robotrace Contest(Preliminary)

10:00-15:00  Robot Building Workshop for Junior Participants (other room)

14:00-15:00  Robotrace Contest Junior Division

23 Nov.(Sun.)

 9:30-11:30  Robotrace Contest(Final)

12:00-13:30  Microclipper Contest

14:00-17:00  Micromouse Contest Expert class (Final)

*The starting and ending times of the contests are subject to change, depending on the numbers of contestants.
*Other robotic events and exhibitions are scheduled in addition to the above contests.

Contest Place： Panasonic Center of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.Ltd.
2-5-8 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0063, Japan
URL: http://www.panasonic-center.com/en/main.html

The 2003 Rules of Micromouse have been partly revised from 2002 Rules. The rules as revised on January 20, 2003 will apply in Micromouse 2003.

Micromouse Freshman Class
This is a micromouse contest for beginners who have recently joined the program. Anyone who considers himself/herself a beginner can participate in this contest. However, contestants who have reached the goal at a previous national contest and mice that have reached the goal at such a contest, are ineligible. And, if during the contest the judges determine that the mouse should be entered in the Expert Class, the mice are ineligible to win.
In the Freshman Class, the contestants will be allowed to change batteries during the contest as long as the batteries are of the same specifications.

Micromouse Expert Class
This is the main event in the micromouse contest. Both preliminary and final contests will be held. Contestants who pass the preliminary stage and participants who have been seeded in each district in accordance with their previous results (nominees from the local contests, in principle) will be eligible to enter the final contest. For the final contest, each mouse builder is allowed to enter only one mouse, while a group is allowed to enter only one mouse as well, unless the individual mouse builder or the group enters mice that are technically dissimilar. In addition, each operator (the person who built the mouse must operate it, in principle) is allowed to operate only one mouse in the final contest.
In the Expert Class, the contestants will be prohibited from changing batteries during all preliminary rounds and the finals of the contest.

*1. In the expert class preliminary, each contesting micromouse shall be subject to a time limit of 7 minutes. The micromouse can try up to 5 runs within this time limit. In the expert class final round, each contesting micromouse shall be subject to a time limit of 5 minutes, and can try up to 5 runs within this time limit. In freshman class contests, as in the previous years, each contesting micromouse shall be subject to a time limit of 10 minutes and can try up to 5 runs within this time limit.


*2. Requirements for participation in the freshman class of the Micromouse Contest
The freshman class of the Micromouse Contest is for people who consider themselves to be beginners, and who will participate with mice that they produced by themselves.
Therefore, people who have made mice that completed the course at a national contest in the past are not considered to be "freshman."
Also, if a person is given a mouse that was made by a more experienced person, that mouse will not be considered a mouse made by a beginner.


*3. The operator is not allowed to place the micromouse for adjustments or for other reasons at any part of the maze other than the starting point area. This stricter application of the contest rules is intended to prevent any micromouse from acquiring information on the maze prior to the race.

1. General
(1) The contests will be videotaped and photographed. The use of flash is prohibited in principle. However, some videorecorders and cameras utilize infrared auto-focus systems, and so robots may be exposed to infrared radiation during the contests. Each of your robots should therefore have appropriate protection against possible infrared radiation.
(2) This year’s competition will be held in the exhibition hall at the Panasonic Center, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Contestants should note that the indoor environment of the Panasonic Center will be different from that of the Science Museum, where the previous contests were held.

２．Microclipper
(1) In the Microclipper Contest, a cutting sheet will be affixed to the cylindrical cans as in last year's contest.
(2) In the Microclipper Contest, the contestants will be allowed to change batteries during the contest as long as the batteries are of the same specifications.

３．Robotrace Contest
(1) The preliminary contest for the Robotrace contest will be held under the following conditions.
- You are allocated three minutes for allowing your robot to make up to three runs. However a robot that successfully completes a round the course shall pass the preliminary for the Robotrace contest.
- The robots that pass the preliminary contest shall be inspected. Those passing the inspection shall be eligible to take part in the final Robotrace contest.
- The time to travel from the starting point to the goal will be manually measured and will be reflected in the entry order of the final contest.( No measuring sensor will be placed.)
- If necessary, more than one contest field will be used during the preliminary.
- The course for the preliminary contest is shorter than that for the final contest, and the contest fields used in the preliminary may differ from those in the final contest.
(2) The surface of the course is wooden, painted matte black. White vinyl tape is used to mark the lines. The field will be made as level as possible. Complaints about these will not be accepted.
(3) In the Robotrace Contest, The contestants will be prohibited from changing batteries during the contest.

1. Except for the case with the preliminary contest for the Micromouse contest (expert class), one builder (or one operator) can register only one robot for each of the Micromouse final contest (expert class), the Micromouse contest (freshman class), the Robotrace contest and the Microclipper contest.

2. Those applying for the above must send the application form(s) with the entry fee to reach our office by October 15, 2003 and also send technical data on their robot(s) to be entered in the contest(s) by the end of October, 2003. Please carefully read the contest rules and other details before applying for the contests.

3. The entry fee per robot is \1,000. However, the Micromouse Committee members and invited contestants will be eligible to enter the contests free-of-charge. Participants from overseas needs to play the entry fees in the case of registration of the contest.

Key factors in winning prizes and list of prize names
Micromouse Contest
-First prize - Sixth prize: Evaluations based on the shortest time required for running from the starting point to the goal
-Autonomy prize: The mouse that records the shortest running time after completing all runs from the first to the last (in which the mouse has to return to the starting point) during the allocated time without touching the walls of the maze
-Search prize: Evaluations based on the number of steps that are required until the mouse reaches the goal on its first run
-New technology prize: The mouse in which new technology is actively used
-Superior prize: Evaluations based on the shortest running time and other aspects of performance particularly in the category of mice produced independently by high school students or younger
-NAMCO prize: The mouse in which unique designs and ideas are used
-Special prize: The mouse that has noticeable features other than the evaluation items listed above

Microclipper Contest
-First prize - Third prize: Evaluations based on the number of cylinders turned upside down within the allocated time or on the time required for returning to the starting point after turning all
-New technology prize: The robot in which new technology is actively used
-NAMCO prize: The robot in which unique designs and ideas are used
-Special prize: The robot that has noticeable features other than the evaluation items listed above

Robotorace Contest
-First prize - Sixth prize: Evaluations based on the shortest time required for running from the starting point to the goal
-New technology prize: The robot in which new technology is actively used
NAMCO prize: The robot in which unique designs and ideas are used
-Special prize: The robot that has noticeable features other than the evaluation items listed above

*For the freshman class of the Micromouse contest, Robotorace, or Microclipper contest, if robots produced by a single group are highly similar technologically, only the most superior robot will be eligible to win a prize.

* Award winners will receive a certificate of award, a souvenir, etc. Among the award winners, those who make the best grades will receive research grants. A participation prize will be given to all contestants.

Shinichi Yuta
Micromouse Executive Committee Chairperson
New Technology Foundation


Dear Contestants:


This is to inform you about revisions to the Robotrace rules and important notifications agreed on at the Micromouse Executive Committee meeting held on January 20, 2003. Please find the revised contest rules.

I. Revisions to the Rules of Robotrace
- To prevent any robotracer from acquiring information on the maze in advance of the race, the operator is not allowed to run the robotracer for adjustments at any part of the course other than the start-goal area. Therefore the words “as a rule” have been deleted from the article 3-5 of the Rules of the Robotrace. [Original article 3-5 was replaced by revised article 3-5]

- In order to make a fair judgment as to whether or not the robotracer has started its run at the start-goal area, the following lines have been added to the Notes as item (2): “If, after the starting procedures, the robotracer comes to a stop or goes off the course and does not reach the starting line, the robot shall be considered to have made a run.” [Item (2) added to the Notes in the Rules of the Robotrace] Notes Item (2) (newly added) If, after the starting procedures, the robotracer comes to a stop or goes off the course and does not reach the starting line, the robot shall be considered to have made a run. (Accordingly, original item numbers (2) through (6) have been renumbered as (3) through (7).)

II. Important Notifications
1. Notes on the Micromouse Competition

- In order to prevent the micromouse from acquiring information on the maze prior to the race, the operator is not allowed to place the micromouse for adjustments or for other reasons at any part of the maze other than the starting point area. This stricter interpretation of the rule will be applied to the micromouse freshman class and to the micromouse expert class preliminary rounds as well as to the micromouse expert class final rounds. This stricter interpretation was originally applied in 2002 only for the micromouse expert class final rounds.

2. Notes on Seed Mice for the Micromouse Expert Class at Micromouse 2003

- Generally only one seed mouse is allocated for the expert class final round at the domestic each local contest, but for districts where more than 30 micromice will participate, two seed mice will be allocated for the final round this year.