Dear Mr. Rodd,

We have not met but we did have a long telephone conversation recently about the future of Micromouse. I am Duncan Louttit; managing partner of the company that makes the DASH FREE kits for schools' micromouse.

I am very concerned about the rumours going round. It appears that the adult 3D competition will not be run after this year.

I am very disappointed that you did not tell me about this during our telephone conversation.

The case for keeping the adult competition is very strong. The adults who enter this competition are the very people who provide technical support for the schools competition. Every school that has entered the 3D competition in the past has been associated with someone who enters the adult competition. If you lose the interest of these competent engineers that knowledge will not be passed on. It is very difficult for teachers to cope with the demands of clever pupils without competent technical support from the very people that you will alienate.

The adult competition sets an example and a standard for the pupils to strive for. Many schools would be happy with a robot that merely managed to track a course. It is only by seeing the fruits of clever engineers' efforts that they can get any impression of just how capable micromice can be.

The case for dropping the adult competition is very weak. Given that the schools' competition will continue, the cost savings by dropping the adult competition amount to a few hundred pounds. The loss of revenue from engineers dropping their I.E.E. membership as a result of this decision may be considerably greater. (We collected 75 business cards from engineers supportive of the competition at the April Electronic Design Solutions Show).

Given the confusion surrounding the matter, I think that you should take the opportunity of tomorrow's competition to make a clear statement. Either state unequivocally that all the competitions will continue next year or make clear which classes will be dropped. It is extremely unfair and damaging to the I.E.E.'s reputation for people to spend the next year making robots for a competition that has been dropped.

You must make your position clear as either the person who saved the longest-running robot competition in the world or the person who killed it.

I look forward to meeting you tomorrow and discussing this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Duncan Louttit