The Sub1 Reloaded robot was developed by creator Infineon to demonstrate the prowess of its new processor. While the chip is meant to be used for upcoming self-driving car tech, it’s also well suited to solving Rubik’s Cube puzzles. The robot took just 0.637 seconds to scan the cube and complete 21 moves of its faces, beating the 0.887 second record held by the processor’s predecessor.
Infineon broke the record during the Electronica trade fair in Munich. The robot began to solve the puzzle by using camera sensors to build an image of the cube. The data was then fed through existing cube solving algorithms to develop a solution to the problem, processing the answer in fractions of a second.
To complete the challenge, the robot sent movement commands to six motorised arms holding the puzzle together. After 21 instructions, the cube’s faces had been rotated to solve the puzzle. While a special “low-drag” Rubik’s Cube was used, the World Cube Association is reported to have approved its use. The Association oversees all Rubik’s Cube competitions.
Infineon has presented the stunt as a way of highlighting the potential of electronics and artificial intelligence to solve existing problems. This applies directly to its work in autonomous vehicles. Cars need to be able to make split-second decisions based on action happening in the world around them. In some ways, the Rubik’s Cube represents a small-scale model of road conditions.
“We used this as a metaphor to show how digital systems are constructed,” Infineon spokesman Gregor Rodehueser said to the BBC. “We want to show that problems can be solved much more efficiently using microelectronics. This is also the case when it comes to automated driving, where you have to have very low latencies and absolutely reliable and quick technologies.”
Experts have pointed out that there are flaws in the experiment. Most importantly, Rubik’s Cubes can be solved with an algorithm, unlike the unpredictable events that occur on the roads. While processor speed can improve the performance of autonomous technology, the ability to act on constantly streaming information in real time is becoming a more important attribute.
The Rubik’s Cube is frequently used as a testing ground for robots and artificial intelligence, even though it’s a simple puzzle that was solved years ago. The game is also used to showcase emerging technologies. Earlier this year, a developer created an app that uses augmented reality hints to guide users through solving a Rubik’s Cube in less than 20 moves. The puzzle remains important to the development of future technology, even if its applications are limited.
