MicroMouse
RSA organizes a yearly MicroMouse competition. The objective of this competition is this: Build a small, autonomous robot that can navigate a maze in the shortest time possible.
About MicroMouse
MicroMouse is a well-known worldwide robotics competition started in the 1970s. There are multiple events held each year in countries such as the UK or Japan, and now also at the RSA in the Netherlands! The goal of the competition is to create a fully autonomous robot that can solve a 16x16 maze in the shortest time.
Guidance
We give workshops throughout the year where you can learn all the skills necessary to build a MicroMouse robot. In addition to this, we will also host help sessions where you can get assistance from experienced RSA members.
You also get access to the MicroMouse maze to test your robot, an optional starter MicroMouse kit, basic templates for CAD, code, and PCB design.
Competition
At the competition day, you have 10 minutes with the maze. During this time you may attempt as many runs as you want, and the run with the shortest time from the starting square (in one of the corners of the maze) to the centre square will count. Your robot cannot have any information about the maze before your 10 minutes start, but during that time it may remember information between runs. This means that you can have some time to explore the maze, and when the robot has found the shortest path you can have many attempts to get the fastest possible time.
Signing Up
The competition is open to everyone!
You can also join the RSA to participate in our other events and workshops! Membership costs 30€ per year per person, for which you get access to all events and workshops.
Participation for non-RSA members costs 10€ per person, which gives you access to the competition and all of the workshops! The launch event and first workshop are free, so that you can see if you want to participate.
Electronics Workshop
September 25, 2025
See what sensors and components are usually in a robot and how they work, then choose the sensors for your robot that best suit your needs!
We’ll cover the following topics: 💻 Arduino basics 👁 Time-of-Flight Sensors 🗨 I2C Communication 🧭 IMUs 🚗 DC Motor Control 🔄 PID Control
For non-RSA members, the first workshop is free!
MicroMouse Launch event
November 15, 2025
In this competition, you will be building a robot in teams of 1 to 4 people. The aim of your robot will be to solve a maze as fast as possible, fully autonomously! We will hold a launch event on the 15th of November, where you can start thinking about your design with your team and tinker with the components we have. Over the course of the year, we will be holding a few workshops which will help you build your robot, including on CAD, algorithms, PCB design, and Arduino. We will ensure that you can get a working robot by just attending the workshops and monthly work sessions, so you don’t need much free time to participate!
PCB Design Workshop
November 19, 2025
Learn how to design a Printed Circuit Board, which will host all of your electronics and create connections between them!
We’ll cover the following topics: 📐Designing a schematic to connect all of your compoments 🧩 Placing all of the components on your PCB ✏️ Drawing the wires on your circuit board 🛒 Ordering PCBs
If you’re participating in MicroMouse, you’ll get the opportunity to start designing the PCB for your MicroMouse robot! You can also join if you’re not participating in MicroMouse.
CAD Workshop
December 3, 2025
Learn how to use 3D modelling software to design your robot, and make some parts that you can 3d print!
We’ll cover the following topics: 📐 Basics of CAD using OnShape ✏️ Making sketches ⚙️ Designing gears 🖨️ 3d-printing your parts
Embedded Workshop
January 14, 2026
This time, we’re diving into the Raspberry Pi Pico, exploring how to interface with various sensors and components to build even cooler projects.
New participants are welcome if they have basic electronics knowledge (such as from the Electronics workshop). If you’re participating in MicroMouse, you’ll get to learn how to use all of the devices on your MicroMouse robot! You can also join if you’re not participating in MicroMouse.
We’ll cover the following topics: 👨🏽💻 Raspberry Pi Pico – microcontroller magic! 👁 Sensor Interfacing – connect and read data from various sensors. 🚗 Component Control – make motors move, LEDs blink, and more! 🗩 Communication Protocols – I2C in action
Mapping & Navigation Workshop
March 5, 2026
Learn how to give your MicroMouse robot a sense of its surroundings!
We’ll cover the following topics: 🚶♂️ Moving your robot through the maze one square at a time using IMUs and encoders 🏰 Wall hugging: a basic way to solve some mazes 🗺️ Building a map of the maze using the Time-of-Flight sensors
Sign-up here 👉 https://rsadelft.nl/swarming
Algorithms workshop
March 19, 2026
Take your MicroMouse robot’s maze-solving skills to the next level with advanced algorithms!
We’ll cover the following topics: 🤖 Using maze-solving algorithms like floodfill to find the shortest path through the maze 🗺️ How to use your digital map of the maze from the Mapping & Navigation workshop to inform these algorithms 💻 Strategies for optimizing your robot for speed and accuracy
MicroMouse 2026 Competition
May 2, 2026
On the 2nd of May the 2026 MicroMouse competition will take place, in which robots autonomously solve a maze as fast as possible! Teams that have built a MicroMouse robot throughout the year will be able to compete to get the fastest time.
This competition is a great way to learn about all aspects of robtotics! We will give workshops throughout the year to help you build your robot, so you can join even if you don’t have any experience.
Electronics Workshop
September 25, 2025
See what sensors and components are usually in a robot and how they work, then choose the sensors for your robot that best suit your needs!
We’ll cover the following topics: 💻 Arduino basics 👁 Time-of-Flight Sensors 🗨 I2C Communication 🧭 IMUs 🚗 DC Motor Control 🔄 PID Control
For non-RSA members, the first workshop is free!
MicroMouse Launch event
November 15, 2025
In this competition, you will be building a robot in teams of 1 to 4 people. The aim of your robot will be to solve a maze as fast as possible, fully autonomously! We will hold a launch event on the 15th of November, where you can start thinking about your design with your team and tinker with the components we have. Over the course of the year, we will be holding a few workshops which will help you build your robot, including on CAD, algorithms, PCB design, and Arduino. We will ensure that you can get a working robot by just attending the workshops and monthly work sessions, so you don’t need much free time to participate!
PCB Design Workshop
November 19, 2025
Learn how to design a Printed Circuit Board, which will host all of your electronics and create connections between them!
We’ll cover the following topics: 📐Designing a schematic to connect all of your compoments 🧩 Placing all of the components on your PCB ✏️ Drawing the wires on your circuit board 🛒 Ordering PCBs
If you’re participating in MicroMouse, you’ll get the opportunity to start designing the PCB for your MicroMouse robot! You can also join if you’re not participating in MicroMouse.
CAD Workshop
December 3, 2025
Learn how to use 3D modelling software to design your robot, and make some parts that you can 3d print!
We’ll cover the following topics: 📐 Basics of CAD using OnShape ✏️ Making sketches ⚙️ Designing gears 🖨️ 3d-printing your parts
Embedded Workshop
January 14, 2026
This time, we’re diving into the Raspberry Pi Pico, exploring how to interface with various sensors and components to build even cooler projects.
New participants are welcome if they have basic electronics knowledge (such as from the Electronics workshop). If you’re participating in MicroMouse, you’ll get to learn how to use all of the devices on your MicroMouse robot! You can also join if you’re not participating in MicroMouse.
We’ll cover the following topics: 👨🏽💻 Raspberry Pi Pico – microcontroller magic! 👁 Sensor Interfacing – connect and read data from various sensors. 🚗 Component Control – make motors move, LEDs blink, and more! 🗩 Communication Protocols – I2C in action
Mapping & Navigation Workshop
March 5, 2026
Learn how to give your MicroMouse robot a sense of its surroundings!
We’ll cover the following topics: 🚶♂️ Moving your robot through the maze one square at a time using IMUs and encoders 🏰 Wall hugging: a basic way to solve some mazes 🗺️ Building a map of the maze using the Time-of-Flight sensors
Sign-up here 👉 https://rsadelft.nl/swarming
Algorithms workshop
March 19, 2026
Take your MicroMouse robot’s maze-solving skills to the next level with advanced algorithms!
We’ll cover the following topics: 🤖 Using maze-solving algorithms like floodfill to find the shortest path through the maze 🗺️ How to use your digital map of the maze from the Mapping & Navigation workshop to inform these algorithms 💻 Strategies for optimizing your robot for speed and accuracy
MicroMouse 2026 Competition
May 2, 2026
On the 2nd of May the 2026 MicroMouse competition will take place, in which robots autonomously solve a maze as fast as possible! Teams that have built a MicroMouse robot throughout the year will be able to compete to get the fastest time.
This competition is a great way to learn about all aspects of robtotics! We will give workshops throughout the year to help you build your robot, so you can join even if you don’t have any experience.