Micromouse Mayhem 2027
About this Event
About this event
Micromouse Mayhem 2027 is a community robotics competition hosted by Maidstone Hackspace CIC.
Teams will design, build and programme a small autonomous line-following robot to navigate an unknown maze, find the destination, and return to the start as quickly as possible.
The competition is open to everyone, whether you are a complete beginner, a student, a young person, a family team, a Scout group, a school team, a Hackspace member, a hobbyist, a programmer, an engineer, or simply curious about robotics.
This is intended to be a friendly, hands-on and accessible robotics challenge that rewards not only speed, but also creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, good design and perseverance.
The challenge
Each team enters one autonomous robot.
The robot must follow a black line maze made from modular white tiles. The maze has no walls. It may include:
- straight sections;
- 90-degree turns;
- T-junctions;
- cross-junctions;
- dead ends;
- loops.
The robot’s task is to:
- start from the marked start position;
- navigate to the destination marker;
- return to the start;
- complete the full route in the fastest valid time.
The maze layout will not be known to teams before the event. During the competition, the maze will be changed three times, with a different layout used for the qualification round, semi-final and final. Teams should therefore design robots that can explore, adapt and optimise routes rather than simply memorising a fixed course.
Teams should read the latest Competition Rule Book before entering and before attending the event. The rule book includes the full robot requirements, maze rules, timing process, penalties, safety requirements, battery guidance, judging criteria and event instructions.
A copy of the latest Competition Rule Book can be found here:
Team entry
Team entry is £35 per team.
Each team may include up to five members. The entry fee covers the whole team, so you only need to book one Team Entry ticket per robot/team.
Please note that Eventbrite may apply a small additional booking, service or processing fee at checkout. This fee is not included in the £35 team entry fee and is charged separately by Eventbrite before payment is completed.
The event is limited to 16 teams.
Teams with members under 18 must have a named responsible adult, and all under-18 competitors must be accompanied during the event.
Competition format
The planned format is:
- Qualification round — all teams compete.
- Semi-final — the fastest eight teams progress.
- Final — the fastest four teams compete for the main places.
Each team will receive a timed maze session during each round it qualifies for. The fastest valid completed run within that session will be recorded.
The final round will decide 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
Prizes and awards
Main prizes will be awarded for:
- 1st place
- 2nd place
- 3rd place
Prize goody bags are planned using robotics, electronics and maker components from with approximate values of:
- 1st place: around £75
- 2nd place: around £50
- 3rd place: around £25
Exact prize contents may vary depending on stock and availability.
Additional awards may also be given for categories such as:
- most ingenious design;
- best presentation;
- route optimisation;
- lowest-cost build;
- most entertaining performance.
These additional awards are designed to recognise creativity, communication, practical problem-solving and the effort teams put into their robots.
Help the judges: document your build
Teams are strongly encouraged to document their robot build process before the event and bring this with them on the day. This does not need to be a formal presentation, but it will help the judges understand how the robot was designed, built, tested and improved.
This is especially useful for the special awards, such as lowest-cost build, most ingenious design, best presentation, route optimisation and most entertaining performance.
Your build documentation could include:
- a simple parts list;
- approximate cost of components;
- where parts were sourced from;
- any reused, recycled or repurposed materials;
- photos of the build process;
- early prototypes or failed designs;
- problems encountered during testing;
- how the team solved technical or design challenges;
- why particular sensors, motors, wheels, batteries or materials were chosen;
- changes made after testing;
- notes on the robot’s route-finding or optimisation strategy;
- anything unusual, clever, funny or creative about the design.
Teams do not need to produce a polished engineering report. A notebook, printed sheet, poster, slideshow, folder of photos or short verbal explanation is enough. The aim is to help the judges recognise the effort, creativity and problem-solving behind each robot, not just the final race time.
For the lowest-cost build award, teams should try to provide a basic cost breakdown. Donated, salvaged or reused parts should be given a reasonable estimated value so judges can compare entries fairly.
For the most ingenious design and route optimisation awards, judges will be particularly interested in how the robot developed over time, what decisions the team made, and how the robot improved through testing.
If teams share their build process, testing videos, photos or progress updates online, we encourage them to use the hashtag #micromousemayhem2027. This will help Maidstone Hackspace follow the projects as they develop, share updates, and celebrate the work being done by teams in the lead-up to the event.
Robot requirements
Robots must be:
- autonomous;
- self-contained;
- line-following;
- no larger than 15 cm × 15 cm × 15 cm;
- built and programmed by the team;
- safe to operate around people and the maze.
Robots must not use remote control or external assistance during a run.
A full rules document will be provided before the event.
What teams should bring
Teams should bring:
- their robot;
- spare batteries;
- any required chargers;
- laptop and programming cable, if needed;
- small hand tools;
- notes or diagrams explaining the robot design;
- any display material for judging, if desired.
Teams using LiPo or lithium batteries may be required to charge and store them safely, including using suitable battery bags where appropriate.
Safety and conduct
All teams and spectators must follow organiser instructions on the day.
The competition area will be controlled during live runs. Teams may be asked to wait outside the maze area until their slot is called.
The organisers may inspect robots before they run and may refuse or stop any robot considered unsafe or likely to damage the maze.
No soldering, cutting, drilling, grinding, heat guns or other hot work should be carried out at the event unless explicitly approved by the organisers.
Photography and filming
Photography and filming may take place during the event for Maidstone Hackspace publicity, social media and reporting.
Please tell the organisers at registration if you or a member of your team does not wish to be photographed or filmed.
Agenda
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:05 AM
Attendance Wave A registration and robot inspection for Teams 1–5.
🕑: 10:05 AM - 11:05 AM
Qualification Wave A — Teams 1–5 compete.
🕑: 10:55 AM - 11:15 AM
Attendance Wave B registration for Teams 6–10.
🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Qualification Wave B — Teams 6–10 compete.
🕑: 12:05 PM - 12:25 PM
Attendance Wave C registration for Teams 11–15.
🕑: 12:25 PM - 01:25 PM
Qualification Wave C — Teams 11–15 compete.
🕑: 01:15 PM - 01:30 PM
Attendance Wave D registration for Team 16 and any approved late or replacemen
🕑: 01:30 PM - 01:45 PM
Qualification Wave D — Team 16 competes, plus buffer time.
🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:20 PM
Lunch break, results verification and maze rebuild for Round 2.
🕑: 02:20 PM - 03:56 PM
Round 2 / Semi-final — top 8 teams compete on the second maze layout.
🕑: 03:56 PM - 04:20 PM
Short break, results check and maze rebuild for the final.
🕑: 04:20 PM - 05:08 PM
Grand Final — top 4 teams compete on the final maze layout.
🕑: 05:08 PM - 05:35 PM
Results verification, special awards and prize presentation.
🕑: 05:35 PM - 07:00 PM
Pack-down begins and event close.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 38.62
