How to Make a Laser Maze

In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 44th type of maze construction is the Laser maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. This particular maze type was brought to my attention on the reddit maze page by user naveedurrehman. It is a puzzle type drawn maze and unique in that the pathways are invisible initially and created by the maze solver !

LASER Maze - A type of PUZZLE maze where THE SOLVER USES PHYSICS TO DETERMINE WHERE A LASER beam WILL BOUNCE in order TO SOLVE THE MAZE.

I want to mention there is a physical version of this maze type, and it may make you think of the movie Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Also, Mr. Beast featured one on his channel.

And there is also a physical kids game version of this maze made by Thinkfun where you use mirrors to solve challenges. The game was the winner of the Good Housekeeping Best Toys Award !

How to Make a LASER Maze (DRAWN)

Step 1 - Draw the Outline and Possible Goals

The outline of a laser maze includes 3 sides with an opening for the initial laser to move through. It is possible to do multiple shapes but the most basic is 3 sided for this example. Goals, or possible goals line the outside of the walls. I suggest nothing less than a 4x4 grid, meaning 8-12 possible goals around the border. I like using pink blocks to highlight and guide where mirrors can be placed during maze creation.

Step 2 - Draw the Initial Laser and Mirror

Draw a laser, at the top reflecting off the first mirror/wall. This is essentially your “START”.

Step 3 - Draw the Solution

Add mirrors (walls) that the laser will bounce off of to make the maze solution. In my example below, I fill most of the maze.

Step 4 - Add the Unused Mirrors (walls)

If the solver followed the physics of the laser and bounced in the correct directions, any walls you add will never be used. Be mindful to not block any used pathways that would re-direct the solution. I also deleted my pink block guides.

Step 5 - Add the Directions

This is a type of maze that needs instructions to solve. Add them to the maze. I used simple directions.

Step 6 - Create the Solution (OPTIONAL)

Make the solution to the maze.

Additional Laser Maze Examples

Each laser does not need to bounce 1 level or block, it can move across larger distances. There is no need to fill each block with a mirror, gaps are interesting ! Here is a 5x5 version that includes gaps:

For my next example, I lined 3 sides with possible goals, so 15 total possible goals instead of just 10 using the 2 sides.

Additional Design Discussion:

Do they need to be square/rectangular ? No. But the use of right angles makes solving easiest. There is no question which direction the bounce is going to go to. A triangle, hexagon, and other geometric shapes would also work, with some complications to work through.

How big can they be ? As large as you can imagine.

Only right angles ? You can use other angles, but they complicate the design for both the creator and solver.

Ready to make your own laser maze ? Good Luck !

I did a 3 part blog series on maze constructions if you want to design your own type of maze. Part 3 includes all of the conditional maze options.

Part 1 - Starting and Ending a Maze - Speaks to the 9 most popular ways to start and stop a maze

Part 2 - Maze Path options - Explores the 12 different pathway options for a maze

Part 3 - Conditional Path options - Speaks to 11 different conditional options to add to a maze to make it more enjoyable

Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.

If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step labyrinth making instructions.

How to Make a Math Addition Trail Maze

Today I will share with you how to make a variation on the popular Math maze construction that I call an Addition Trail Maze. While a math maze can use dozens of different calculations to solve it, the addition trail maze uses only one, addition. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. First, here is my definition of the 2 types of Math Mazes:

Math Maze - A type of number maze where moving from the Start to the Goal is done by correctly answering math problems to move in the correct direction.

Addition Trail Maze - A type of math maze where you move from Start to Goal by adding numbers along the way (the trail) to hit a specific goal number.

How to Make a Math Addition Trail Maze

Step 1 - Draw the Outline

This maze type is not conducive to outline or shapes so I will use a traditional grid-like pattern to illustrate the creation. The outline I use in the example and the most common is a simple square or rectangle, although it can be made in any gridded shape.

Step 1.5 - Choose the Start and Goal

I like using a START and GOAL within the maze placed inside the grid. I choose opposite side of the structure.

Step 2 - Add pathway walls

Next I add pathways to create trails that will become the framework for possible pathways. This choice will determine what possible outcomes at available to you. Notice that I limit the options with a bottleneck between the 3rd and 4th columns. Although the grid I was working with is not shown, this is a 5x5 grid.

As a creator the next few steps happen as part of the design process, but will not be part of the final maze. They are planning steps to create a workable maze.

Step 3 (Planning step 1) - Break the trails into sections

Create sections (mine are in bubbles) which are options that can be moved to. I labeled them with letters. From the START you have 2 options to move in, into section A or into section B. If you move in direction A you will move through 4 blocks before making another decision. If you move onto B you immediately have another decision to make, D or E. When you make your sections for the first time you will make a mistake or 2. The most common mistake is including a block into a section where it does not belong. For example: If you are in A, you MUST next move to C, but C is not part of A. If you move from B to D you also MUST move to C, but C is also not part of D. C must be independent.

Notice that the bottleneck I mentioned in Step 2 is now labeled F and must be used in any solution.

Step 4 (Planning step 2)- Create a decision tree

I made a decision tree to show the possible pathways that can be taken based on my maze construction. To make this easier to see I did not combine common branches i.e. each branch ends with it’s own FMK sequence instead of one common branch. This tells me that I have 8 possible trails to follow which are:

BEFM, BEFK

BDCGFM, BDCGFK

ACGFM, ACGFK

ACDBEFM, ACDBEFK

Step 5 (Planning Step 3) - Add numbers to the sections

Use the 8 possible solutions we found above and assign values to each letter which will create the 8 numbered solutions. Then convert those numbers into the appropriate section of the maze. If plug these into a spreadsheet I can write some formulas to calculate the possible answers. Here is what I used, and their answers:

I can adjust the numbers of each letter as needed to create different sums.

And here are those letters converted to numbers in the actual maze. I used all small numbers, but that is obviously not necessary:

Step 6 - Delete background items

Clean-up the trail maze and come to a final addition trail maze construction.

Step 7 - Add Directions

Add directions to explain to the solver how they can move through the maze. Because you have already made the solution tree in the planning process, this is the time you pick which solution will be the correct one. Because there are 2 possible solutions for 14 I did not pick that number !

Addition trail maze

Step 8 - Create a Final Solution

Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final maze solution (shown here in gold).

Note that the final maze is a 5x5 grid, using 23 of the 25 blocks for possible solutions. Let’s look at an abbreviated example to see how a few changes effect things.

Additional Math Trail Maze Example

Here I am using a 6x6 grid and a different internal wall structure which is much more complicated. Going from 23 blocks to 34 blocks really gives us so many more options. We had 8 possible pathway solutions above, any guess how many solutions this maze will have? Here are the abbreviated steps to give you a sense of what I mean.

Steps 1, 2, and 3 Outline, walls, and section the pathways

I have combined the steps for brevity. The walls I used have more gaps and so this leads to more possible pathways. The number of possible sections in our first example was 9 (as shown by having 9 different letters) and here it is 18.

This can be seen in the decision tree below. I did the pathways for B before A. You see a full tree for B while A is abbreviated using those findings so we have a smaller tree to look at. The M, G and U that are colored on the B side of the tree is repeated for the A side, aligning to the colored m, g, and u. Circles reflect the goal. B has 12 ways to reach the goal, as does A, so 24 possible pathways. So that is our answer, 8 possible solutions become 24 with just a slightly larger maze size!

Here is the spreadsheet I made with possible solutions. With some formulas you can play with the #’s that correspond to each letter and see the possible answers change in real time.

Step 5 Add numbers to the sections

Yes I added some negative numbers into the mix. It adds a nice twist to the possible pathways and solutions. It gives the solver more strategy to use in how they move through the maze.

Steps 6, 7 - Delete guides and add directions

I chose 39 as my solution. But I should mention that choosing the largest number you calculate in your spreadsheet is also fun. The smallest number tends to be easier to solve and I do not suggest you use it unless you use many large negative numbers to hide the solution well. There is also some intelligent design you can use by making some sections look different than they may actually be (e.g. a large number followed by some small negative numbers to even everything out).

So that completes the instruction. I hope you enjoy making your own Math Addition Maze !

Here is an early example I made (still called a Math Maze at the time) I am including so you can practice breaking the maze into sections. Good Luck ! The answer is immediately below.

Let’s see how you did:

Other posts you may be interested in:

Mazes of all 50 US states for Kids, each maze includes the state capital, year of statehood, state motto and more.

A collection of free downloadable Kids Activity Books.

Step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different types of maze.

Instructions on how to make labyrinths.

How to Make a Mobile Maze

The 43rd type of maze construction I will “how to” is the Mobile Maze. Like some of our other mazes, most notably, the Kids Maze, this type of maze can look many ways and have many different constructions, but it is still has distinct characteristics to properly execute ! Let’s define what a Mobile maze is then get into the step by step instructions !

Mobile Maze - A Maze designed specifically to be viewed and solved on a mobile device.

HOW TO MAKE A MOBILE MAZE

Step 1 - Choose the Maze construction

This seems like an odd Step 1, but it is correct. Similar to a Kids Maze, the Mobile Maze can be created dozens of different ways. Take a look at the How To Draw a Maze section and choose the look you prefer. You will actually be following THOSE sets of instructions while following some basic rules to make the maze look good on mobile ! Also note that some objects lend themselves to this maze construction - a giraffe would be good, as would a anything long.

Step 2 - Follow the instructions + add these rules

Follow the instructions of the maze construction you selected while adding these 2 rules:

1. Design the maze vertically using a 9:16 ratio or greater. The 9:16 ratio is the standard size for a mobile screen (you can read more about screen sizes below) . An easy way to think of this is that you want a maze about twice as high as the width. If you want a maze to be scrollable in order to be solved (this adds some difficulty !), try for a larger ratio like 1:4. What do I mean by that ? Well in a scrollable maze a dead end may be off the visible screen - in fact you might even design your maze with this in mind to make it more challenging !

WHAT A 9:16 RATIO LOOKS LIKE

2. Make pathways that are WIDE. This is a vague but important design feature. I find that a bit of testing is needed to get this just right. If you design digitally it can easily be adjusted (and this is for mobile, so I assume that it is) in order to have a maze that can be solved easily. For Grid based mazes (Grid Maze, Color Grid Maze, Arrow Maze, Block Move, etc.) the widest # of blocks I would suggest using is 5.

Let’s look at a few different Mobile Maze examples:

Here is an example of a Mobile Arrow Maze, that is a 5:13 ratio, and because it is an Arrow Maze, no pathway adjustments are needed ! Because the maze is long the solver cannot see the Goal when they start solving it !

And here is an example of a Mobile Grid Maze. Once again I used a 5:13 ratio. Notice how the pathways between grids are much thicker than usual. I more than doubled the normal width.

A Mobile Weaving Maze. 5:23 ratio, and with very wide pathways. I find that this construction needs more length than others to help establish more realistic false pathways. Still, this is a fun maze to make and solve in a mobile format.

And one more for fun. A Mobile Hidden Message Trail Maze. 5:18.

ADDITIONAL MOBILE MAZE EXAMPLES:

I have a section on the site of over 30 mobile mazes, that includes a free downloadable file of each of them (not really a book since the sizing is for mobile phones, and not for printing). And, although it does not have many words, if you prefer to read and solve laberintos en Español, tengo que aqui.

MAZE DESIGN BASED ON SCREEN SIZE:

Computer screen monitors vary in their aspect ratio, but most since 2012 are 16:9 (1.78), although through time they have varied from 1.25 to 1.60. So, yes, you are not imagining things, computers are getting wider. Some of you might even remember when televisions were a 4:3 aspect ratio (1.33) before they became much wider.

Most smartphones also happen to be a 16:9 (in landscape mode or 9:16 in portrait mode) which is convenient when you use landscape mode to watch YouTube or other videos on your phone. But when you are not watching videos, your phone is in portrait mode for just about everything else you use it for. Tablets have large range of ratios with many 4:3 like an old tv and some 16:10. This makes them a bit wider so that books get formatted as a priority over videos (you are reading with your tablet and not watching movies right ?).

So, when I make a maze for this website I am always thinking about how it will look on a large screen and how it will print on a standard size piece of paper (8.5x11) which is a 1.29 ratio. The mazes still look fine on a cellphone screen, but are not entirely solvable in most cases without zooming in to see the pathways more clearly. This means a lot more difficulty in maneuvering to solve a maze.

So when you make a maze those are the screens you might be making them for. And in this case, Mobile mazes you want to design for a 9:16 screen !

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY INTEREST YOU:

44 Different types of Mazes and Labyrinths

Comparison of the Top 10 Maze Generation Websites

A Huge Maze of the Sydney Opera House

How to Make a Pod Maze

The 42nd type of maze construction is the Pod Maze. This construction came about from a collaboration with a friend, While the final product can look many different ways, the core ‘pod’ idea stays the same. Let’s define what a Pod maze is then get into the step by step instructions ! I have included a free downloadable book of 31 Pod Mazes at the end of the post.

Pod Maze - A Maze with separated sections, called pods, that must be traveled between to solve the maze. The ability to jump between pods is denoted by small arrows in the pathways.

How to Make a Pod Maze

Step 1 - Draw the Background and Pods

The background will determine the shape of the maze. I typically use a black background to match the color of the pathways I will be drawing. Matching these will save you headaches during construction ! The pod placement and shapes are your choice. Make sure you have enough places where it will become possible to move between pods. The spacing is up to you. In a simple maze closer together will be easier.

Design Option - make the background a light color and change it to the final color during the final step ! This allows the pathways to be more easily seen during drawing !

Step 2 - Choose the Start and Goal (optional)

Choose the start, and optionally the goal and place them in the pods. The goal can always be moved later as the maze is constructed !

Step 3 - Start Mazing

I use a standard construction in the actual pods, but many other options would also work. As you move to the edges of a pod, add a small arrow to indicate where a pathway can cross into the next pod. The adjacent pod should have an arrow aligned in the same plane across to indicate the proper movement allowed as in the example below.

Design Option - When drawing the pathways you could stop them at the pod edges OR continue them across the background (these will be invisible when the background matches the pathway color). If you use a light color background during design this will help with the design !!

Step 4 - Keep mazing and finish the maze

Continue to draw pathways until you have finished completing the entire maze.

Step 5 - Create the Solution (optional)

Make a solution to the maze !

Additional Pod Maze Examples

This additional example uses a spiral construction extensively within the maze.

And this second example adds some color to make the maze more interesting. Nice autumnal colors.

In this third example I mix a few different shapes, using triangles and a center circle as pods.

Free Downloadable Pod Maze Book

The Pod Maze Book

A free downloadable book featuring 31 different pod mazes. Mazes come in a variety of shapes and colors. El libro esta disponible en Español tambien !

File Size: 329 KB

Step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.

Step by step instructions on how to make digital labyrinths.