The Cubestormer II robot uses a mobile phone camera to snap images of each face of Rubik's Cube, and then uses high-powered software to analyse the images and suggest its next move, sending instructions via Bluetooth to four Lego 'arms' which rotate the cube at high speed.
It can solve Rubik's cube in 5.35 seconds. The official human fastest time is 5.66 seconds.Unlike human 'speedcubers', the robot doesn't look at the cube first: it finds the answer as it goes.
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Cubestormer II uses a Samsung Galaxy S II as its 'brain' - sending signals to processors in its Lego robot arms. It can solve Rubik's cube 'from cold' in 5.35 seconds.
The robot was designed, built and programmed by Mike Dobson and David Gilday. Dobson created the previous, slower cube-solving robot CubeStormer.
Gilday programmed the Android Speedcuber software that the machine uses. The brains behind the operation is a Samsung Galaxy S 2 - chosen because the dual-core processor allows the software to run two processes at once.
The robot 'fingers' are made entirely from Lego - requiring four whole Mindstorms kits, including ARM processors in each leg, which receive signals from the S 2 about their next 'move'.
CubeStormer II uses an Android app to drive its robot arms, which are made using the Lego Mindstorms robot construction kits. Unlike human 'speedcubers' it doesn't need to look at the cube before making a record attempt.
The app communicates with Bluetooth receivers in the Intelligent Bricks as it solves the puzzle - and somehow also finds time to display a 3D image of its solution in real time.CubeStormer will show off its skills at ARM's TechCon festival 2011 in Santa Clara, California on October 26th-27th.
The software picks 'moves' specifically adapted to its four Lego arms, each of which contains an ARM microprocessor and receives instructions via Bluetooth.
It can solve Rubik's cube in 5.35 seconds. The official human fastest time is 5.66 seconds.Unlike human 'speedcubers', the robot doesn't look at the cube first: it finds the answer as it goes.
Scroll down for video
The robot was designed, built and programmed by Mike Dobson and David Gilday. Dobson created the previous, slower cube-solving robot CubeStormer.
Gilday programmed the Android Speedcuber software that the machine uses. The brains behind the operation is a Samsung Galaxy S 2 - chosen because the dual-core processor allows the software to run two processes at once.
The robot 'fingers' are made entirely from Lego - requiring four whole Mindstorms kits, including ARM processors in each leg, which receive signals from the S 2 about their next 'move'.
CubeStormer II uses an Android app to drive its robot arms, which are made using the Lego Mindstorms robot construction kits. Unlike human 'speedcubers' it doesn't need to look at the cube before making a record attempt.
The software picks 'moves' specifically adapted to its four Lego arms, each of which contains an ARM microprocessor and receives instructions via Bluetooth.
