Why does a maze robot explore slowly before it races?
A small maze robot may look hesitant on its first trip and decisive on the next. In a Micromouse contest that rewards the fastest successful run, time spent locating walls and learning a route can make later runs better. The strategy depends on the competition rules and on how much useful information another exploratory trip is likely to reveal.
Questions you could explore
- When should the robot stop searching for a better route and commit to the one it knows?
Start reading
- Micromouse OnlineNavigation
A practitioner’s guide explains why mapping and racing place different demands on a robot, and makes the scoring assumption explicit.
- IEEE Region 2 student competition rulesMicromouse Competition Rules
Provides one concrete rule set in which multiple attempts are allowed and the minimum successful run time determines the official time.
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