Abstract
Micromouse at TEE, evolved as a mechanism to enthuse and engage students more fully in the practical aspects of designing real-time embedded systems, from both hardware and software perspectives. Static target boards are ideal for an introduction to embedded systems - to learn the basics of embedded hardware and software. Mobile robots bring in motor drives, positional encoders, distance sensors, closed-loop control theory, real-time systems design, mechanical considerations, and real-world problems relating to the multivariate environments in which these devices must operate. Mobile Robots are “Electronics on Wheels” – experience shows that things that move are far more engaging than things that don’t.
The design, build, and programming of a micromouse requires multi-disciplinary skills. It provides the opportunity for individual students to develop broad technical capability, for groups of mechanical, electronic, software and embedded systems students to develop team-working skills, and of course it has the element of competition that makes it fun and rewarding.
Birmingham City University hosts the UK Micromouse competition, as well as several smaller events throughout the year. UK Micromouse is the major event of BCU TECHFEST. The range of competitions has been extended to incorporate Schools Micromouse, which brings in line-followers, drag-racers and wall-followers as well as maze solvers. The aim is to support the STEM agenda – encouraging the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
This paper discusses the design of a micromouse for teaching embedded systems. In addition a model for micromouse software development is presented.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
TEE refers to the Faculty of Technology, Engineering and the Environment of Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
BCU TECHFEST is an annual event hosted by Birmingham City University, Faculty of Technology, Engineering and the Environment, TEE, held at Millennium Point, Birmingham, B4 7XG
S.Sample, University of Central England, UK.
Raul Lopez Pando, University Polytechnic of Madrid.
UPMouse, Blanca Maria Hernando De Antonio and Christina Martin Ocaña, University Polytechnic of Madrid.
James Wilcox, University of Bristol, UK.
Time-Trials rules, http://www.tic.ac.uk/micromouse
Wall-follower rules, http://www.tic.ac.uk/micromouse
Maze-Solver rules, http://www.tic.ac.uk/micromouse
Informal discussion with Peter Harrison, following Minos (2007)
Braunl, Thomas, Embedded Robotics – Mobile Robot Design and Applications. Springer, Heidelberg (2008)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Wilcox, T. (2011). Micromouse – Electronics on Wheels. In: Obdržálek, D., Gottscheber, A. (eds) Research and Education in Robotics - EUROBOT 2010. EUROBOT 2010. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 156. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27272-1_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27272-1_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27271-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27272-1
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)