In November last year, the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s cube by a robot was a mere 2.39 seconds. Just two months later, two gentlemen have built a robot which can solve the puzzle in 1.47 seconds flat! Software engineers Jay Flatland and Paul Rose from Kansas uploaded a video to YouTube this month, offering a glimpse of the robot unscrambling the cube in less than 2 seconds. Flatland also stated in the video that they are “in the process right now of applying for an official world record.” The machine used by the duo uses the Kociemba Rubik’s cube solving algorithm to solve the puzzle. This algorithm determines which move needs to occur for the cube to be solved quickly. It is through cameras and motors supported by a 3D-printed frame into drilled holes, the machine solves the cube.
Earlier, the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s cube by a robot is 2.39 seconds, achieved by a robot built by Zackary Gromko at an event at Saint Stephens, Bradenton, Florida, USA, on October 15, 2015. The robot utilises 6 arms (one for each face of the cube) connected to stepper motors to rotate the faces of the cube. We guess none of these timings will even come close to your best timing whilst solving the puzzle, ever!