A robot developed by the company Mitsubishi Electric Corporation just set a new world record by solving a Rubik’s cube in the shortest possible time: he achieved it for the righteous 0.305 thousandths of a secondthus beating the previous record of 0.38 seconds, which was also achieved by a robot developed by the company Mitsubishi.
It’s a real moment you’ll miss, as you can see in the video of the robot in action. Fortunately, it also includes a video several repetitions slowed down the success so you can see what’s going on.
The new record holder is the TOKUI Fast and Accurate Synchronized Motion Test Robot, or TOKUFASTbot for short, named in part after the chief engineer responsible for its development. His job is usually to help build engines, he reports. Scientific notice.
“To demonstrate our technical capabilities in achieving high-speed and high-precision windings, which are key to increasing the productivity and efficiency of the motors used in many of our products, our young engineers volunteered to create a world record,” says Yuji Yoshimura, Senior General Manager Mitsubishi Electric.
The TOKUFASTbot machine comes with some very useful features to tackle such a record, including a color recognition algorithm (built with proprietary AI) and a rotating mechanism that rotates 90 degrees in just 0.009 seconds.
Robots are getting faster
Robots are getting better and better at solving these types of puzzles. In 2009 there was a record 1 minute and 4 seconds. Just seven years later, the time dropped below a minute for the first time. At just 0.305 seconds, progress was fast, Science Alert says.
However, adapting the TOKUFASTbot to solve the Rubik’s Cube wasn’t easy: To begin with, the robot was too fast for the plastic toy, and the puzzle block keeps getting stuck. Several modifications and improvements were required to achieve the record.
If you’re wondering how people get along with the iconic cube these days, the current record for solving the Rubik’s Cube by a real person is currently 3.13 seconds.
But don’t feel too bad if your own solving skills aren’t quite as nimble and fast. Erno Rubik, the man who invented the cube he gave his name to in 1974, it took a whole month at its first solution, says Science Alert.
In a nutshell, more than 43 million billion configurations. There are many wrong paths to take on the way to a single solution.
As for engineers Mitsubishi Electricare returning to their regular jobs after setting a new record, but don’t be surprised if they come back and try to break the record again in the next few years.
“We will continue to face exciting challenges using the technology we have cultivated in engine development to support global production,” says Yoshimura.
