Twisting toward possibilities: The Rubik’s cube solving machine

Surely everyone has tried to solve a Rubik’s Cube at some point. And most of us know how frustrating that can be: after countless twists and turns, you still end up staring at a chaotic color pattern — even though it feels like you’ve tried every combination.

But do you know how many possible combinations a Rubik’s Cube actually has?
To be precise: 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 — that’s about 43.25 quintillion.

To put this into perspective: if you tried one combination every second, it would take 1.37 trillion years to try them all — that’s about 100 times the age of the universe!

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Twisting up mechatronics and automation

At PULS, we are committed to continuous innovation and therefore proudly support young talents on their way to becoming creative engineers and entrepreneurs.

In a world overloaded with information, we believe in focusing on meaningful achievements that showcase real engineering excellence.

Today, we are excited to share an inspiring story:

Four young mechatronics and automation students from Bielefeld University — Tom Töws, Matthias Risse, Jan Ewerszumrode, and Laurids Wetzel — decided to take on the challenge of building an automated Rubik’s Cube solving machine as part of their course on mechatronic systems.

What began as an idea from fellow students — abandoned due to budget limitations — was revived and completed by this determined team.

CP20.241 brings the machine to life

This is where PULS came in to support this innovative project.
We sponsored one of our high-quality DIN-rail power supplies: the CP20.241.

With its 24V / 20A output, compact design, high efficiency, and optimized cooling, the CP20.241 offered the perfect solution to reliably power the machine. Its industrial robustness made it an ideal fit for this high-tech prototype.

If you would like to get some more information on this product please refer to this page.

Bringing solutions to high gear

After three months of hard work, intensive brainstorming, and a lot of teamwork, it was finally done.

Problems, for instance, were things like the recording of the state of the cube via image processing, the control of stepper motors for turning the cube sides, and a complex manual mounting of the cube.

But where there is a will, there is a way. Despite all the obstacles, their dedication and diligence finally paid off.

An extended remake now takes on the shape of the developed machine, which is of excellent quality and meets all necessary requirements to be used at industry fairs.

On top of this, the team has established a high-quality and robust industrial design.

Now this part is where the real magic happens:

The Rubik’s cube can ideally be solved at a speed of 15 moves per second.

The underlying solution algorithm requires between 10 and 35 turns. In the best case, the cube can therefore be solved in less than a second and can compete with professional approaches and solutions.

The Rubik’s cube solving machine is powered by a PULS power supply.