Rubik's cube still inspires engineers to create novel ways of solving it. Now, a robot has solved it in 15 seconds flat.
A team, led by Zachary Grady and Joe Ridgeway of Rowan University in New Jersey, has built a robotic arm and created software that which solve the cube in just 15 seconds, the 'New Scientist' reported.
The system uses a camera to capture how the cube is scrambled and sends the images to a computer. It determines the pattern on each face and algorithms are used to solve the cube. The solution is then translated to the arm's pneumatics and motors.
Ridgeway was inspired by his own expertise -- he can consistently solve the cube in about 45 seconds. "We knew the device was capable of doing these movements," he said.
The team designed the arm so that the cube could be held in one corner, allowing it to be quickly rotated without having to re-grip it after each move.