We all know the fear that someday soon the machines will come for our jobs, rendering us obsolete, but it turns out we’re far from the only species who needs to worry about being replaced. Even mice should probably start looking over their little shoulders to see the future coming for them, because there’s no chance they can make their way through a maze at the speed of their robot counterparts.

YouTube user Robert McGregor shared this compilation he collected over the last few years of autonomous micro mouse robots run speed trials through “cheese” mazes. The runs are conducted in two phases. In the first, the robot methodically finds its way through the maze using sensors, and in the second one, which are the speed runs seen above and below, the tiny bot uses the map it created in the first run to complete the second as quickly as possible. If you only watch the first few minutes of this video you’ll think it’s a guarantee the mouse will always find its way every time, but there are plenty of failures as well.

So how is it possible for these miniature robots to have enough traction to move that fast without flying off the track? It’s because they utilize tiny vacuums that create downward force. You can read a lot more about how these are designed here, and if you want to build your own there’s a beginner’s guide to help you.

And hey, learning how to build a robot is a great way to make sure you can’t be completely replaced by robots. Although the mice definitely seem to be out of luck.

What other tasks should they give these robot mice? Weave your way to our comments section below to tell us your best ideas.

Featured Image: Robert McGregor

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