Micro mice are small autonomous robots designed to navigate mazes. They were first created in 1952 by Claude Shannon to demonstrate machine learning by having a robot solve any maze. This inspired the creation of the micro mouse competition in 1977 by IEEE to advance robotics and AI techniques. Over the decades, strategies to solve mazes quickly evolved from simple techniques like following walls to more advanced methods like flood-fill algorithms and optimizing for turns and corners. Fine-tuning also improved with features like smooth turning, gripping techniques to prevent slipping, and vacuuming fans to maintain control at high speeds.