財団法人ニューテクノロジー振興財団 NTF -New Technology Foundation-

Micromouse Contest is a contest in which contestants enter their robots to compete for
intelligence and speed while the robots negotiate a specified maze. 
A robot participating in this contest is termed a micromouse.

 

2. Rules for the Maze. 
2-1. The sides of the maze walls shall be white, and the top of the walls shall be red. 
The floor shall be black. The track of the maze shall be made of wood finished with non-gloss 
black paint. 
2-2. The maze will be composed of a plurality of a 9 cm x 9 cm unit squares. The maximum number 
of squares to be contained in a maze will be 32 squares x 32 squares. The walls to be built along the 
squares will be 2.5 cm in height and 0.6 cm in thickness (see Fig. 1 for details). 
2-3. The starting point of the maze will be located at one of the four corners of the maze. 
A micromouse shall start in a clockwise direction. The finish point and the size of the finish zone 
will be determined individually for each competition. The finish point will be indicated by a set of 
x-y coordinates of the entry point to the finish zone. 
(See Fig. 2 for an explanation on how to read coordinates.)
2-4. Small square zones, each 0.6 cm x 0.6 cm, at the four corners of each unit square are called 
lattice points, and a maze is so constituted that there is at least one wall at a lattice point except for 
the interior of the finish zone (see Fig. 1 for details). The entire maze will be completely surrounded 
by exterior walls (see Figs. 1 and 2). 

3. Rules for the contest. 
3-1. The minimum time required by a micromouse to run from the start to the destination shall 
be recorded as its official time. In a micromouse contest, the contestants are evaluated on the 
running time as well as on the process in which it achieves the shortest running time and its 
independence. The criteria for evaluation and the rules for awarding prizes are determined at 
each contest. 
3-2. After the maze is disclosed, the operator is not to feed any information on the maze into the 
micromouse. In addition, the operator is not to revise the maze-related information or eliminate 
it partially by operating a switch, etc., during the contest. 
3-3. Each run is to begin from the starting point, and is to end when the micromouse returns to 
the starting point, stops for more than 2 seconds, or is approved to discontinue its run. 
3-4. If a micromouse returns to the starting point and beings another run automatically,
the micromouse must first stop for at least two seconds at the starting point. 
3-5. The operator shall not touch the micromouse during the run unless instructed by the
tournament committee chairperson to do so or is given permission to discontinue the run.
The tournament committee chairperson is to accept an operator's request to discontinue a run 
if an apparent malfunction is found in his/her micromouse's run. For cases in which a request 
to discontinue is made for any other reason, permissions shall be granted on the condition that 
all memory of the maze is erased. 
3-6. The time limit for a micromouse will be determined individually for each competition within 
the maximum time limit of 15 minutes. A micromouse is permitted to make up to 5 runs in the 
specified timeframe.
3-7. A micromouse is considered to have completed the maze when the entire lower portion of its 
body (defined as its portion up to 2.5 cm above the floor level) has entered the finish zone. 
However, a run time is measured from the moment the sensors placed at the starting point 
senses the micromouse and to the moment the sensor located at the entry point to the finish zone 
senses the same micromouse. 
3-8. The illumination, temperature and humidity of the room in which the maze is located shall 
be those of an ambient environment. Requests to adjust the illumination shall no be accepted. 
3-9. The tournament committee chairperson reserves the right to ask, as he deems it appropriate, 
the operator for an explanation of his micromouse. The tournament committee chairperson also 
reserves the right to stop a run, declare disqualification, or give instructions as he deems appropriate. 
3-10. Prizes and evaluation criteria will be set forth individually for each competition.

［Appendices］
1. The contestant is not permitted to load programs or replace ROM during a contest.
It is also prohibited to give instructions during a competition regarding the execution of a program
by connecting a micromouse to a development unit or console box that is independent of the main
micromouse unit.
2. The contestant is permitted to remove dust and debris on the tires during a contest using adhesive tape, etc.; however, no solvents and the like may be used for the purpose of increasing friction.
3. In each of its runs, a micromouse may continue its probing even after it has reached the destination.
The running time, in such a case, shall be measured from the starting time until the first time the
micromouse reaches the destination.
4. If a micromouse returns to the starting point and begins another run within two seconds, it is assumed that the next run has begun. However, this run will be considered invalid.
5. The micromouse may not be placed for adjustment or other purposes in any part of the maze other than on the square designated as the starting point except for during an official run.
6. Dimensions of Micromouse
The size of the lower structure of a micromouse is constrained by the size of the maze notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1-5.
7. Structure of Maze
The precision with which the maze is made is that commonly used for similar structures, and there may be an element of error in the dimensions. As the maze is designed to be flexible, the design may produce gaps or difference in level of approximately 1 mm between sections of the walls or the floor. There are also nonuniform color, discoloring and smear.
8. Type and position of the Sensors
Type: Transmission infrared sensors with horizontal Optical axis 1 cm above the floor. (See Fig.1) Position: Start sensor: At the boundary between the starting unit square and the next unit square.
9. The exterior walls of the starting point (outside the maze) and the interior walls of the finish zone are painted red. The top of the walls in the starting unit square and finish zone is painted white.
10. A goal marker may be placed at some point in the finish zone. It may also be removed subject to the approval of the tournament committee chairperson.

　　　　　　

［Important Notice Concerning the Half-sized Micromouse Contest］

1. Competition consists of preliminary and final rounds. The number of mice that pass the preliminaries will be announced later.
2. The overall size of the maze and the location of the entry point to the finish zone (the x-y coordinates) will be announced two months before the contest, in principle.
3. The time limit will be announced about two months before the contest.
4. Number of mice permitted to register
There is no limit as to the number of mice that one party can register for this contest. However, only one mouse may take part in the final round (if more than one mouse is registered by the same person or if more than one mouse exhibiting technical similarities is designed by the same group). It should be noted that an operator (as a general rule, the designer is the operator of the mouse) is allowed to operate only one mouse during the final round.
5. Contestants are, without exception, not allowed to change batteries during a contest.
6. Lighting conditions and the use of flashes for photography in the arena.
The basic aim of the foundation in sponsoring this competition is to encourage the development of robots that move
in any given conditions where humans conduct their life to the maximum extent possible, rather than the development
of robots that function only in controlled environments.
(1)Lighting conditions
In line with the above spirit, the competitions will be held under regular lighting as provided by the arena.
(2)Flash photography
As in the past, there will be an announcement in the arena asking the audience to refrain from using flashes f
or all competitions other than the final round of the Expert Class Micromouse Contest. Please take note, however,
that some video and camera equipment use infrared rays for their auto-focus function, and participants are expected
to come up with measures to successfully cope with infrared rays.  
7. For the final round, the secretariat will keep the robots at a designated location before the game begins and until the game is over. Before his/her turn, each operator must receive his/her own robot at the designated area, have the robot complete its runs, and return it to the same place after runs are completed.
8. Automatic entry to the final round of the nationwide Half-size Micromouse Contest by the most outstanding mouse from local contests (half-size)
If 10 or more mice compete in the half-size category of a local or student contest held during this fiscal year, one mouse from each such contest will, upon recommendation, be entitled to enter the final round of the nationwide Half-size Micromouse Contest.

Evaluation Criteria for the Half-sized Micromouse Contest

Prizes
1^st Prize:                           Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \200,000(JPY)
2^nd Prize:                           Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \100,000(JPY)
3^rd Prize:                           Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \50,000(JPY)
4^th Prize:                           Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \30,000(JPY)
5^th Prize:                           Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \20,000(JPY)
6^th Prize:                           Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \10,000(JPY)
Autonomy Prize:                  Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \50,000(JPY)
Search Preize:                    Certificate of award & trophy
New Technology Prize:    　  　Certificate of award & trophy
Superior Prize:        　          Certificate of award & trophy
Special Prize:                      Certificate of award

* All award recipients will receive special souvenirs. All contestants will receive a prize for participation.