Watch this robot solve Rubik’s Cube in 0.3 seconds – blink and it’s done
- A new Guinness World Record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube has been set
- It took a robot made by Mitsubishi Electrics just 0.305 seconds
- This is around the same amount of time it takes to blink
Published on Jul 23, 2024 at 8:52 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 23, 2024 at 7:09 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
This is the moment a Mitsubishi Electric-made robot set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube.
The world record keepers recognized a time of just 0.305 seconds by the Mitsubishi Electric robot.
This is 0.075 seconds faster than the previous record and more than ten times faster than a human has ever managed.
For context, the time the robot took to solve the puzzle was around the same amount of time it takes for you to blink an eye.
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The Rubik’s Cube-solving robot moves incredibly fast
To achieve such times, the robot needs to move fast – very fast.
According to Mitsubishi Electric, its ‘compact, high-power, signal-responsive servomotors’ enable the robot to rotate the cube 90 degrees in 0.009 seconds.
Alongside this, ‘a color-recognition algorithm developed with proprietary AI technology’ helps solve the puzzle.
“Shaving off time as much as possible was difficult, but it was fun at the same time,” Mitsubishi engineer Tokui, who led the record attempt, told Guinness World Records.
The new record is testament to the advances and improvements of robotics, with Mitsubishi Electric saying it will continue to take part in ‘exciting challenges’ as its technology develops.
The company says winning the title has been ‘motivational’
“Since establishing our Component Production Engineering Center in 2016, we have been developing and manufacturing high-tech motors, power semiconductors and related products,” Yuji Yoshimura, a senior general manager at Mitsubishi Electric, said in a statement.
“To demonstrate our technical capabilities in achieving high-speed, high-precision windings, which are key to increasing the productivity and efficiency of motors used in many of our products, our young engineers voluntarily worked to set the world record, resulting in a Guinness World Record title, which has motivated our engineers to further develop their technical skills.
“We will continue to take on exciting challenges using the technology we have cultivated in motor development to support global manufacturing.”
The current human record holder for fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube is a man called Max Parks.
He set a time of 3.13 seconds at a ‘speed cubing’ event in the US in 2023.
Impressive stuff, but he’s still got quite a way to go before he’s ready to take on the robots.
Elsewhere, we’ve seen robots performing ‘useful tasks’ at a Tesla plant, driving EVVs in Japan, and ‘liquefying’ themselves.
Welcome to the future, guys.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
