RoboRacing builds robots that navigate themselves at high speed. Our primary focus is MicroMouse, a competition where robots must map, plan, and race through a maze autonomously. It has run since the late 1970s and is still being actively pushed forward; top mice today clear a 16×16 maze in under four seconds.
RoboRacing builds these robots end to end. We design our own PCBs, write the firmware that runs on them, and develop the search and control algorithms that turn our sensor readings into a fast run through the maze. Our 2026 mouse ran a custom board and firmware written from scratch, with odometry and sensor-based error correction. Members work across embedded programming, PCB design, and controls, often on all three within a single semester.
We competed at MicroMouse APEC in 2026 and are building toward a stronger robot for 2027. We also maintain a full-size autonomous go-kart for the Autonomous Karting Series. We believe the best way to learn is on real hardware, so we’re taking multiple new member robots to competition this year.
The Competitions
MicroMouse APEC
In 2026, our team switched its focus to primarily focus on MicroMouse. In this competition, robots must autonomously solve and race through a maze in as little time as possible. This competition has been running since the late 70s, and significant advances are still being made today. It is one of the most competitive robotics competitions in the world.
Autonomous Karting Series (AKS)
While our primary focus is MicroMouse, we do continue to work on our AKS car. Following the cancellation of evGP’s Autonomous Division, most of the participating teams banded together and began to organize a new competition themselves. The competition is held on a race track at Purdue University.
(Last updated July 2026)
Previous Competitions
EV Grand Prix – Autonomous Division
After the cancellation of Sparkfun AVC, RoboRacing decided to expand to a new competition, EV Grand Prix, held in Indianapolis. This competition involves an autonomous electric go-kart race around a track at the Indy 500 Speedway.
IARRC Competition
Yearly circuit and drag race competition for RC-sized autonomous cars. Teams are scored based on their performance (read: speed) in the races, as well as written reports and oral presentations. The IARRC competition is held at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada.
Sparkfun AVC
In this competition, teams built and programmed the best autonomous cars to navigate obstacles as quickly as possible. RC-sized cars competed in Speed Demons, while our go-kart-sized ride-along car competed in Autonomous Car Wars. Teams were scored on a structured basis involving their performance in the race. The competition was held at Denver’s Maker Faire. This competition held its final year in 2018 before being cancelled.
Team Information
Meetings
Sundays – 4:00 to 7:00 PM
Mondays – 7:00 to 10:00 PM
Thursdays – 7:00 to 9:00 PM
*Subject to change, last updated July 14th 2026
New Members are only required to come to Monday meetings for the duration of their training period, after which they will come to Sunday and Monday meetings.
Team Leadership
| Project Manager | Justin Dugan |
| Software Lead | Jaehon Shim |
| Electrical Lead | Panda Chu |
| Mechanical Lead | Ian Causseaux |
Mailing List
roboracing@lists.robojackets.org
Wiki Page
https://wiki.robojackets.org/RoboRacing
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