Micromouse

[2] The mice are completely autonomous robots that must find their way from a predetermined starting position to the central area of the maze unaided.

The mouse needs to keep track of where it is, discover walls as it explores, map out the maze and detect when it has reached the goal.

Having reached the goal, the mouse will typically perform additional searches of the maze until it has found an optimal route from the start to the finish.

Mice used in competitions employ the fundamental elements of robot navigation, including mapping, planning, and localization.

Most recently, robots are being equipped with a fan to create a partial vacuum under the mouse while it is running.