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This self-solving Rubik's Cube is officially smarter than you

At least now you don't have to complete that ridiculous New Year's resolution you set yourself...

Claire Reilly Former Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she's covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She's been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she's a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
Expertise Space, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech Culture Credentials
  • Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
Claire Reilly
Close-up of woman's hand with Rubik's Cube
Getty Images

In the future, robots will complete all the tasks we don't want to do. Cleaning our toilets. Picking up our garbage. Solving our Rubik's Cubes. 

If the Hungarian puzzle cube/nightmare device has always vexed you, all you really need to do is add a few electronics, bone up your programming skills and do as Japanese YouTuber Human Controller does -- teach the Rubik's Cube to solve itself. 

Unlike a regular Rubik's Cube, which is filled plastic and the tears of small (and big) children, the Self-Solving Rubik's Cube is a series of modular cube parts fixed onto a spherical, 3D-printed centre. On the six sides of the central mechanism are six rotating parts that allow the cube to control itself (you can check out the disassembled cube here and see the progress shots here). 

The result? A Rubik's Cube that merrily walks its way across the table, rotating its sides to solve itself faster than you ever could (unless, of course, you're a speed cuber). 

Thank goodness robots are here to solve our problems. Now you won't have to spend your yearly vacation arguing with your family about the best way to turn a Rubik's Cube topwise. 

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