Mazes — a problem as old as Minos

The first recorded maze was the Labyrinth of Crete, built (according to legend) to house the Minotaur. The first *algorithm* to escape a maze was described by Charles Pierre Trémaux in the 1800s. The first robot to solve a maze was Claude Shannon's *Theseus* — an electromechanical mouse that navigated a metal maze in 1950.

Today you'll build the same idea with modern parts: a 5-sensor IR array for eyes, an L298N motor driver for muscles, and an Arduino for the brain.

Your algorithm: the left-hand rule (also called wall-following). The idea is simple enough to explain to a child:

> Always keep your left hand touching the left wall. Never let go. Keep walking.

As long as the maze is *simply connected* (no islands), you'll find the exit. Let's understand exactly what that means — and where it breaks down.