The robot from Mitsubishi Electric has solved a standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube in just 0.305 seconds, surpassing the human record of 4.48 seconds.
(Video: Mitsubishi Electric).
The Component Manufacturing Engineering Center of Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric has set a Guinness World Record for the fastest robot to solve a Rubik’s cube, achieving this feat in just 0.305 seconds, as announced on May 23. The record-setting event took place two days earlier in Tokyo. The video released by Mitsubishi Electric shows the robot solving a standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube faster than the human eye can follow.
The main person behind this record-breaking effort is expert Tokui from the Component Manufacturing Engineering Center at Mitsubishi Electric, where he typically focuses on motor development. After watching a video of the previous record-holding robot, Tokui believed that their motors were superior and could break the speed record.
The TOKUI Fast Motion Synchronized Testing Robot (TOKUFASTbot) can perform a 90-degree rotation in 0.009 seconds due to its special rotating mechanism, built from compact, high-power servo motors, and a color recognition algorithm developed with proprietary AI technology. The servo motors, programmable controllers, industrial PCs, touch screens, and cameras are designed to achieve high-speed signal connectivity and control multiple devices.
“To demonstrate our technical capabilities in achieving high-speed rotational movements, which are key to boosting productivity and performance in the motors used in many of our products, our young engineers volunteered to attempt to set a world record. This has motivated our engineers to further develop their technical skills. We will continue to embrace exciting challenges using the technology we have developed in the process of motor development to support global production,” said Yuji Yoshimura, senior manager at the Component Manufacturing Engineering Center of Mitsubishi Electric.
The robot solving the Rubik’s cube on May 7, with different measurement rules than those used for the world record.
Breaking the record requires not only a fast motor but also smooth operation of all machine components together. “Trying to shorten the time is challenging but also very exciting. I have never lost interest in the project,” Tokui stated.
However, the Rubik’s cube struggled to keep up with the robot’s speed. Therefore, the team of experts continued to work to prevent it from getting stuck. In the first official attempt, the Rubik’s cube became jammed again, but in the second attempt, the robot completed the task with an unprecedented time during practice, thereby achieving the title of Guinness World Record.
The time of 0.305 seconds for TOKUFASTbot far exceeds the human record for solving a Rubik’s cube. According to the Guinness World Records organization, the fastest average time for a person to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube is 4.48 seconds, set by Yiheng Wang from China.
