In more than one occasion I have recommended "creative alternatives" to solve Rubik's cubes that gather dust in a corner, but the folks at Mitsubishi decided to take that strategy to the absolute extreme. Their result? A high-precision robot that can solve cubes in just 0.305 seconds. That record allowed those responsible to claim the world speed record, but at the same time, it leaves us with a question: How is it that the cube didn't end up pulverized…?
Seeking the limits of an automatic system through games is nothing new. Chess, Go, Jeopardy, StarCraft… some projects never left the laboratory, while others literally reached television. However, a game that always manages to return is the Rubik's cube. The reasons are obvious: an puzzle accessible, that challenges people of all ages. There are no cultural barriers, no restrictions beyond those imposed by the cube itself.
500 million cubes sold are compelling proof of its popularity, and they also gave rise to the speedcubers category, enthusiasts whose goal is to be the fastest in the world. The record belongs to Max Park with 3.13 seconds, and it is very likely that we are already very close to the human limit. So, what happens when robots start playing? Mitsubishi has the answer:
0.305 seconds, new world record for Rubik's cubes with robots
The official name for the device is TOKUFASTbot, and it uses six high-speed servos, with the ability to rotate 90 degrees in just 0.009 seconds. The video is even more impressive, as TOKUFASTbot managed to obtain a solution in 0.204 seconds. The difference in time is due to natural validation issues: at the time of the official test, the robot was looking to break a previous record of 0.38 seconds, and following Guinness rules, TOKUFASTbot clocked 0.305 seconds.
Guinness explains that on the first attempt, the robot was not successful because the cube got stuck. On the Web people wonder how the cube didn't explode when subjected to such stress in so little time, and there are also doubts about its specifications. Is it an original Rubik's cube, or did they use a custom model? Either way… the robot is faster
Source: SoraNews24
