A team of Purdue University students created the "Purdubik's Cube" robot that set a new Guinness World Record by solving a Rubik's Cube in just 0.103 seconds — faster than the blink of an eye and nearly three times faster than the previous record.
G. Ostrov
The world of robotics witnessed an event that redefined the boundaries of what's possible. A team of students from Purdue University's Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering created a high-speed robotic system called "Purdubik's Cube" that officially holds the Guinness World Record for "fastest robot to solve a puzzle cube."
Incredible Speed: Faster Than Blinking
The robot solves a Rubik's Cube in just 0.103 seconds — faster than a human blink, which takes 200-300 milliseconds. For comparison, the previous official record was 0.305 seconds, set by Mitsubishi Electric engineers in Japan in May 2024. The Purdue team didn't just break the record — they improved it by nearly three times.
The Record-Breaking Team
The project was realized by a team of four students: Junpei Ota, Aden Hurd, Matthew Patrohay, and Alex Berta. Interestingly, their collaboration began through Purdue's Cooperative Education Program, which brought the students together not only as friends but also as professional partners.
Technical Innovations
"Purdubik's Cube" is a sophisticated system that includes:
- Machine vision for color recognition
- Custom solving algorithms optimized for execution time
- Industrial-grade motion control hardware from Kollmorgen
- Precisely tuned motion profiles to maximize acceleration and mechanical efficiency
From Inspiration to Reality
Matthew Patrohay recalls: "My inspiration was a previous world record holder. Back in high school, I saw a video of MIT students solving the cube in 380 milliseconds. I thought, 'That's a really cool project. I'd love to try and beat it someday.' Now here I am at Purdue — proving we can go even faster."
Recognition and Support
The robot was first unveiled at SPARK, Purdue ECE's student design competition, where it took first place in December 2024. The project received support from Purdue's Institute for Control, Optimization and Networks (ICON) and corporate sponsorship.
Professor Shreyas Sundaram notes: "From the days of the Apollo program, Purdue researchers and students have been designing control systems that enable groundbreaking new capabilities. The Purdubik's Cube team is a prime example of how Purdue is bringing algorithms, robotics, and control together to achieve great feats of engineering."
Interactive Experience
The team also created an interactive experience using a Bluetooth-enabled "Smart Cube." Users can scramble the puzzle in real time, and the robot mirrors every move, solving the cube instantly once the scramble is complete.
This achievement demonstrates what's possible when talented students receive the necessary tools and opportunities. Four undergraduate students broke a record set by a world-class Mitsubishi team in less than a year — an impressive result that inspires the next generation of engineers.
More information about the project can be found on the official Purdue ECE School website.
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