The Cubestormer 3 solved a Rubiks cube in 3.253 seconds.
If you want to look like you’re smart and do it in a dramatic fashion, solving a Rubik’s cube really fast is a surefire way to get the job done. Just watch Will Smith do it and try not to be impressed. And heck, he didn’t even do it all that quickly. Not that I can criticize, of course. The only way I’ve been able to do it is to peel off the stickers, a method most commonly referred to as cheating.
As impressive as Rubik’s cube solving can be however, there is one feat I can think of that’s even cooler: building a robot to do it for you. Take the Cubestormer 3, for instance. Built and designed by the British team ARM, it recently broke robotic records by solving a Rubik’s cube in 3.253 seconds. The previous record holder, the Cubestomer 2, was only able to do it in 5.27 seconds. The human record, in case you were wondering, is 5.55 seconds.
The Cubestormer 3 tackled its cube using a custom algorithm processed by an octa-core Samsung Galaxy 4 phone. The phones cores power a LEGO Mindstorm actuators which, in turn, are instructed by the team’s software on what moves they need to make in order to complete the cube.
Setting aside the inherent cool factor of a LEGO robot rapid fire Rubiks-ing, I will admit to feeling of anxiety over just how easily the Cubestormer 3 basically owns the hard-won human record. It’s not that I’m naïve. I know, of course, that even my dumpy, falling apart laptop that overheats every time I boot up a game. has more processing power than my brain ever will. Nonetheless, it’s still a bit foreboding to see a tangible symbol of human smarts pretty much made into a joke by an automaton. The robot revolution may not start with Cubestormer 3, but the signs are certainly starting to pile up.
Source: Engadget
Published: Mar 18, 2014 10:22 pm