Tag Archives: solves

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

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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.

The Purdubik’s Cube team features a rapid robotic system that can solve scrambled Rubik’s Cubes in 0.103 seconds, including members Junpei Ota, Aiden Hurd, Matthew Patrohay, and Brock Berta.
Purdue

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.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Science solves five shocking crimes

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Many of us have a morbid fascination with true crime. Whether it’s the gruesome details or insight into the mind of a killer, our curiosity drives our obsession with the macabre. But amidst the sensational headlines, there are real lives affected.

When traditional methods fail, cutting-edge technology can step in to unravel some of the most baffling cases. Here are five astonishing crime cases where scientific advancements helped uncover the truth.

1. Soham Murder

Two men watch as Ian Huntley is sentenced to two life sentences for the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in London, December 17, 2003. – Photo credit: Getty

Captor: Palynology

In August 2002, Ian Huntley was convicted of the murder of two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, through the analysis of pollen grains and spores found on his clothing and car. This breakthrough led to his guilty plea and sentence.

2. The Sacramento Vampire

Captor: Psychological Profiling

Psychological profiling helped solve the case of the Sacramento Vampire, a brutal killer in California in the 1970s. By creating a profile of the killer, authorities were able to identify Richard Chase as the culprit, leading to his conviction.

3. BTK Killer

Dennis Rader during his trial in 2005. – Photo credit: Getty

Captor: Digital Forensics

The BTK Killer, known for his “Bind, Torture, Kill” crimes, was caught through digital forensics after taunting authorities and leaving digital evidence of his identity. Dennis Rader was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.

4. The Butcher Baker Murders

Grounds for conviction: Ballistics, Forensic Geology

Robert Hansen, the Butcher Baker, was convicted through ballistics and forensic geology evidence linking him to the murders of 17 women in Alaska. Unique mineral compositions in soil samples tied him to the crime scenes, leading to his arrest.

5. Golden State Killer

Joseph James DeAngelo during his trial in 2020. – Photo Credit: Getty

Captor: Genetic lineage

The Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, was identified through genetic lineage testing after decades of evading capture. Ancestry DNA and genealogy databases led to his identification and conviction for multiple murders.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Astrophysicist from Princeton solves the enigma of black hole jets and galactic ‘lightsabers’

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Princeton researchers have found that the M87* black hole emits energy outward, contributing to the formation of a giant jet. This discovery challenges traditional views about black holes and may be further tested with advanced telescopes. This new understanding opens up new avenues in comprehending black hole dynamics, though the source of the jet’s power is not definitively explained. This research was conducted with the support of the Princeton Gravity Initiative, a Taplin Fellowship, the National Science Foundation (grant 2307888), and a Simons Foundation Investigator Award.

The findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal on November 14, 2023. The research was spearheaded by Princeton astrophysicists including Andrew Chael, Alexandru Lupsasca, George N. Wong, and Eliot Quataert. With origins in Einstein’s theory of relativity, the researchers made intricate observations involving the black hole and its magnetic field to decipher the direction of energy flow. The researchers found that energy near the event horizon of black hole M87* is pushing outward rather than inward. They also verified the prediction that black holes lose rotational energy.

The researchers have concluded that while it is very likely that the black hole is powering the jet, it cannot be proven conclusively. Furthermore, the team has not conclusively shown that the black hole’s rotation “really powers the extragalactic jet.” Though the energy levels shown in their model were consistent with what a jet would require, they could not rule out the possibility that the jet could be powered by spinning plasma outside the black hole. Nevertheless, it is expected that the next generationEvent Horizon Telescope will further explore and confirm these findings.

The research team was also awarded the 2024 New Horizons Prize in Physics from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation for their black hole research. The research was also supported by a Taplin Fellowship, the National Science Foundation, a Simons Foundation Investigator Award as well as by the Princeton Gravity Initiative.

Source: scitechdaily.com

NASA Solves OSIRIS-REx Parachute Issue

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OSIRIS-REx collected a half-pound sample from the surface of the asteroid Bennu in October 2020. The mission’s sample return capsule landed at the ministry on September 24 with the help of a parachute, similar to the training model shown in the August 30 test. The Defense Force’s Utah Test and Training Range is located in the desert outside of Salt Lake City.Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

NASA‘s osiris rex Despite a minor issue with parachute deployment due to mismatched wiring labels, we successfully returned the sample from Bennu. The main parachute compensated and ensured a safe landing, and further investigation is planned to confirm the cause.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule parachuted into the Utah desert on September 24, 2023, safely delivering a container of rocks and dust collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Although the delivery was successful, the landing sequence did not go completely to plan and the small parachute, known as a drogue, did not deploy as expected.

After a thorough review of the descent video and the capsule’s extensive documentation, NASA concluded that due to inconsistent definitions of wiring labels in the design plans, engineers were unable to wire the parachute release trigger and deploy the drogue chute. It was discovered that the signals may have been fired out of order.

A sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after landing in the desert at the Defense Department’s Utah Test and Training Range on September 24, 2023. The sample was collected from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in October 2020.Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

The drogue was expected to deploy at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. This was designed to slow and stabilize the capsule during its approximately five-minute descent before deploying the main parachute at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet. Instead, a signal activated the system at 100,000 feet, which separated the drogue while it was still stuffed into the capsule. When the capsule reached an altitude of 9,000 feet, the drogue deployed. The holding cord had already been severed, so the drogue was quickly released from the capsule. The main parachute deployed as expected and its design was robust enough to stabilize and slow the capsule, allowing him to land safely more than a minute earlier than expected. There were no adverse effects on OSIRIS-REx’s Bennu sample as a result of the unexpected drogue deployment.

In the design plans for the system, the word “main” was used contradictoryly between the device transmitting the electrical signal and the device receiving the signal. On the traffic light side, “main” means the main parachute. In contrast, on the receiver side, “main” was used to refer to the fireworks that would be ignited to release the cover of the parachute’s canister and deploy the drogue. Technicians connected his two main power sources, causing the parachute’s deployment motion to occur out of order.

To confirm the root cause, NASA plans to test the system that releases the parachute. This hardware is currently in one of his glove boxes containing Bennu samples at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Once the on-site curation team completes processing the sample material (the mission’s top priority at this point), NASA engineers will be able to access the parachute’s hardware to examine the cause.

Source: scitechdaily.com