Line following robots do just that…follow a line around a course in the quickest time possible. Although it sounds simple, successful line following robots use 2 or more sensors to detect the line and have to be able to get back to the line quickly if they become lost. Rules vary, but usually penalties are assigned if the robot has to be touched in any way during the run. Advanced line following courses have tight turns, branching paths, and may require the robot to stop within a defined area.

A sample line following board

Two examples of commercially produced line following robots are the Parallax Scribbler and the Elenco Line Tracking Mouse.