With hundreds of millions of units sold worldwide, the Rubik's Cube – or "magic cube" – is the most famous puzzle, and by extension, the most frustrating. Since its original release, we've seen things like an online software platform that helps us solve it, and we can't forget the God algorithm. However, a Japanese robotics enthusiast known as Human Controller decided to set all those resources aside and create a Rubik's Cube that solves itself. Yes, we are obsolete.
If you were to buy a Rubik's Cube, it would likely end up gathering dust in a corner. The web tells us that the optimal algorithm to solve one of these cubes requires only 20 moves, but I don't think I could ever find them. An alternative would be to use something like Cubr, which with a webcam helps us... well, cheat. Now, there's a different path, even more complex and challenging than solving the cube by hand. It requires extensive knowledge of robotics and electronics, optimized code, several 3D-printed parts, and patience. We're talking about a Rubik's Cube that solves itself, without human intervention. Don't believe me? Watch this:
The cube was created by user Human Controller on the Japanese portal DMM.Make. Unfortunately, there are no specific details about the construction, but from the images it's possible to know that he replaced the entire internal mechanism of the cube with six motors, a microcontroller, and what appear to be Hall sensors to determine the position of each side. Speaking of positions, the cube doesn't repeat the original moves in reverse, but rather tries to find a different solution. In the first video, the developer scrambles the cube with fifteen moves, but the cube performs many more.
Personally, I hope Human Controller decides to open source his wonderful project and share all the details of its construction with the rest of the enthusiasts. Of course, it's not hard to imagine a commercial future for this version of the cube, as long as it has the right price. Imagine the surprise: You press a button, the Rubik's Cube solves itself, everyone is left with their mouths open, and someone yells to throw it into the fire because it's cursed! (?)
Official site: DMM.Make
