This Machine Solves the Rubik’s Cube Faster Than Most Humans!

Blink and you’ll miss it: Purdue University’s engineering students have developed a robot capable of solving a Rubik’s Cube in just 0.1 seconds.

This robot, dubbed “Purdubik’s Cube,” set a Guinness World Record last month. The record for the fastest robot to solve puzzle cubes was achieved with a time of 0.103 seconds, surpassing the prior record of 0.305 seconds set by Mitsubishi Electric Engineers in May 2024.

Located on Purdue’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, these robots utilize custom algorithms optimized for machine vision, speed, and industrial-grade motion control hardware for color recognition, as stated in a press release from Purdue University.

Formed by engineering students Junpei Ota, Aiden Hurd, Matthew Patrohay, and Brock Berta, the robots were initially created for the December 2024 Spark Challenge organized by Purdue’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. After clinching first place, the team aimed to enhance their robots with support from Purdue’s Laboratory for Control, Optimization and Networking.

The innovative Purdubik’s Cubes aren’t just a novelty; high-speed robotic systems like these are already being utilized across various industries, including manufacturing and packaging.

The Rubik’s Cube first emerged as a cultural sensation in the 1980s, only to wane in popularity during the 1990s. However, a surprising revival occurred thanks to the internet, spurring the development of SpeedCubing, where participants race to solve a 3 x 3 puzzle as quickly as possible.

Today, enthusiasts frequently attend events dedicated to solving Rubik’s Cubes in numerous styles. Nonetheless, no human can match the speed of Purdue’s robot. The current world record for human solvers is held by Max Park, who completed a cube in 3.13 seconds in 2023.