If you thought your Rubik’s Cube skills were impressive, prepare to be humbled. A new robot has shattered all expectations by solving the puzzle in under a third of a second. Built by Mitsubishi Electric in Japan, the TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized motion Testing Robot (TOKUFASTbot) has taken the Rubik’s Cube world by storm, completing the puzzle in a lightning-fast 0.305 seconds and setting a new Guinness World Record. This record-breaking feat is about the same amount of time it takes for a human to blink.
Mitsubishi Electric’s robot surpassed the previous record of 0.38 seconds by 0.075 seconds, obliterating the previous record set by another robot. Guinness World Records officially recognized this lightning-fast time, presenting the certificate to Mitsubishi Electric on May 21. Impressively, the robot’s time is over 10 times faster than the best-ever human time, set last June at a Rubik’s Cube speed-solving event in California.
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According to the Mitsubishi Electric press release, their record-breaking robot uses a proprietary color-recognition algorithm, allowing it to process colors at incredible speeds. The company also credits its “compact, high-power, signal-responsive servomotors” for the robot’s ability to rotate the cube 90 degrees in just 0.009 seconds. However, the physical properties of the cube itself stopped the robot from achieving an even faster time. Early attempts saw the puzzle jamming and even breaking because of the robot’s speed and force.
“Shaving off time as much as possible was difficult, but it was fun at the same time,” said Mitsubishi engineer Tokui, who spearheaded the record attempt, speaking with Guinness World Records. Yuji Yoshimura, a senior manager at Mitsubishi Electric, added, “Since establishing our Component Production Engineering Center in 2016, we have been developing and manufacturing high-tech motors, power semiconductors and related products. 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 Records title, which has motivated our engineers to further develop their technical skills.”
Invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and architecture professor Ernő Rubik, the Rubik’s Cube quickly became a worldwide sensation. Originally designed as a tool to teach three-dimensional geometry, it quickly turned into a popular and brain-teasing toy that tests your smarts and skills. Fast forward to today, the Rubik’s Cube has become more than just a puzzle and is now a full-blown competitive sport with speedcubers racing to solve it in record times. Now, with lightning-fast robots like TOKUFASTbot solving Rubik’s Cubes in the blink of an eye, it seems humans will need to brush up on their juggling skills – or maybe invent a new party trick altogether.
