Mind A-Mazes 2026

A rubber ball is allowed to set off the machine tasks.  Teams will likely come up with a variety of allowed objects that could be used to set off machines and tasks.

Yes, a matchbox car may be used.  Great that you mentioned catalyst!  You could count the car as a ‘wheel and axle’ if its indeed part of a series of actions which include an attempted task.

Dropping an object is an allowed trigger, but judges are expecting teams to attempt to use a trigger that doesn’t allow for potential additional energy assistance from the team member that ‘triggers’ the device.  What this means is that if a judge observes a trigger in which the team member provides additional ‘human energy’ to the trigger, they could be disqualified.  So no extra propulsion assistance is a big thing to avoid.  The safest bet is to just use a simple trigger (like a stick, string, clip, etc.) that a team member easily removes for their ‘trigger’ and which would make it difficult for a team member to provide extra energy.

*Also remember that any trigger needs to be within the 1 meter size restriction for the device.

Yes, a pulley may count as a wheel and axle if it is turning to lift something, and that action is part of a sequence to attempt a device task (rule B6).

6. Simple machines a team wants to get points for using must be directly connected to the attempted completion of one of the machine’s ‘tasks’.

No.  Although the classic definition in physics assumes a flat, rigid slope, the inclined planes in this challenge do not have to be flat surfaces.  Real world variations such as spiral slides, winding roads, curved ramps or slanted tubes are all examples of modified inclined planes.

No – since they’re both part of the same car, the car itself would count as 1 wheel and axle (not two) [as long as the wheel and axle (car) was part of a chain reaction attempting to complete a challenge task].   Using a 2nd car in the same manner could count as using a 2nd wheel and axle though!

Yes, a toy car can count as a wheel and axle, as long as rule B6 is being met:

6. Simple machines a team wants to get points for using must be directly
connected to the attempted completion of one of the machine’s ‘tasks’.

Yes it does, as long as the inclined plane is connected to the attempted completion of one of the 6 tasks.

6. Simple machines a team wants to get points for using must be directly
connected to the attempted completion of one of the machine’s ‘tasks’.

*No –  a spinner (such as from a game or marble toy device spinner) can not count as a fan blade, just because it spins.   The fan blade used or created should resemble a fan blade, not be a spinner from a game, manufactured set, or a spinner that does not look like a fan blade.

If a team can’t find an actual fan blade, a team may make a fan blade from various materials (cardboard, metal, wood, paper, or even 3D print) – it doesn’t need to have the curved surfaces of a real fan blade, but should look like a fan blade to judges (not a paddle wheel, Marble Roll spinner, game spinner, or spinner which doesn’t resemble a fan).

For small objects like beans or shattered glove pieces that happen to fall out of the 1 meter size limit of the device, judges will not disqualify a team or give them a zero for those small pieces that may have ended up outside the 1 meter cube (after the device has completed its run)! 🙂  So if you happen to ‘spill the beans’ and they fall outside the 1 meter size limit of your device, that is acceptable.

The purpose of rule B1 is to keep the main device and it’s ‘parts’ within 1 meter (such as judges checking for length and height of whole device before triggering, or any levers, arms, or parts of the device falling off or out of the 1 meter area after the device has finished running).  Although shattered glove pieces may land outside the 1 meter size restriction, the inflated glove should be within the 1 meter cube area size limit before triggering!