The Rubik’s Cube made a comeback in the early 2000s with the emergence of “speedcubing” competitions. The human record for solving the Rubik’s Cube is currently 3.13 seconds, established by Max Park, American champion, in 2023. A mind-blowing human record, and yet eclipsed by a robot from Mitsubishi Electric, the TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized Motion Testing Robot (TOKUFASTbot), who solved the puzzle in just… 0.305 seconds! It thus beats the previous record of 0.38 seconds held by an MIT robot since 2018.
A Rubik’s Cube solved in the blink of an eye, literally
The TOKUFASTbot accomplished this feat thanks to its ultra-fast rotation mechanism, capable of rotating 90 degrees in just 0.9 milliseconds. This feat is made possible by servomotors developed by Mitsubishi Electric and a color recognition algorithm developed specifically for this task. The speed at which the robot solved the cube was so fast that it exceeded the average time of a human eye blink, which varies between 100 and 400 milliseconds.
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One of the difficulties the team encountered was the cube becoming stuck when its faces were rotated at high speed. Adjustments were made so that the robot could perform the movements without breaking everything.
Yuji Yoshimura, general manager of the Component Production Engineering Center at Mitsubishi Electric, explains that the TOKUFASTbot was first designed to improve the manufacturing of motors for devices like air conditioners and fans. “ Since the establishment of our engineering center in 2016, we have been developing and manufacturing high-tech motors, semiconductors and related products “.
He pursues : ” To demonstrate our technical capabilities in high speed and high precision winding, our young engineers voluntarily worked to establish this world record, which motivated our teams to further develop their technical skills “.
Achieving the Guinness World Record title for “the fastest robot to solve a rotating puzzle cube” not only brought international recognition to Mitsubishi Electric, but also encouraged its engineers to pursue technical innovations. The company is committed to continuing to meet challenges using technologies developed in engine manufacturing for the global manufacturing industry.
This record is also an international showcase which will allow Mitsubishi to attract talent. Not forgetting the free publicity which is always a good thing!
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