Olathe co-workers build a superfast Rubik’s Cube robot for a Guinness World Record attempt

One thousand one.

Boom! Done!

That’s how fast two Olathe software developers say their robot can solve a Rubik’s Cube. Faster than you can tie your shoes. Faster than you can take a selfie. Faster than you can get the darn thing out of the box.

Whirr, whoosh, clickity-click.

World record.

At least they hope so. On Friday, Feb. 5, Jay Flatland and Paul Rose plan to break the Guinness World Record of 3.253 seconds set by a robot last year in England. They have a good shot not only to break the record, but shatter it by 2 seconds or more.

A YouTube video posted by Flatland shows the robot — a clattering collection of web cams, special motors and 3-D-printed parts — speeding to a solution in as little as 1.04 seconds. Later in the viral video, which has been seen nearly 6 million times, Flatland softly tosses a second cube in the air as the robot successfully completes its task before he catches it.

In some of their tests they’ve even gone faster than 1 second.

Flatland put that in perspective.

“There’s like 43 quintillion possible combinations for solving a Rubik’s Cube,” he said. “That’s quite a lot to sift through.”

While Flatland and Rose’s robot is impressive, it is only seconds quicker than the fastest human time of 4.904 seconds, set last year by Lucas Etter of Lexington, Ky.

As in human competitions, their robot uses a low-friction competition “speed cube” that is very forgiving if parts are not lined up perfectly. They also used an algorithm known as Kociemba to help the robot determine the best set of moves to solve the scrambled cube with lightning speed.

“We didn’t develop the solving part,” Flatland said. “There have been math studies on how to use algorithms to solve the Rubik’s cube. We figured the real challenge of the problem is trying to turn the cube as fast as possible.”

Flatland used a 3-D printer to make a special frame and other parts for the robot. The pair also drilled small holes into the side of the cube to allow stepper motors to securely grip and turn it. Instead of providing a continuous wave of turning energy like regular motors, stepper motors apply energy in short, controlled bursts, allowing for quicker, more precise turns.

Drilling small holes is allowed according to the rules of the competition, Flatland said.

“They allow you to make modifications to the cube as long as it doesn’t change the nature of the puzzle,” he said.

Flatland and Rose work at Tradebot Systems, an algorithmic stock trading company in Kansas City. Flatland, 36, has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology from DeVry University in Kansas City, while Rose, 45, has a bachelor’s of computer science from the University of Missouri.

But with all the computer challenges they could tackle, why go after a Rubik’s Cube record?

“We’re both into Rubik’s Cubes,” Flatland said. “A couple years ago he picked one up and started learning different techniques to solve it by hand. And I sit right next to him. Over coffee we’d talk about Rubik’s Cubes.”

At the same time last year Flatland bought a 3-D printer for $1,800, and was looking for a way to use it.

One thing led to another, and their Rubik’s Robot was born.

The Rubik’s Cube is the top-selling single toy of all time with 350 million sold since 1980. Unlike other best-selling toys, the cube was not originally designed to be a toy. Its inventor, Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik, created it in 1974 as a way to teach his students three-dimensional geometry.

While Flatland is no longer wowed by the speed of the robot, he continues to be amazed by the reach of its video.

“I’ve gotten Twitter and Facebook messages from people from all over the world,” he said. “It’s kind of blowing my mind. I got a request to use some images from some kids’ French science magazine. I thought that was neat.”

He hopes the video inspires students.

“We did this for fun,” he said. “There’s not really a grander purpose to it. But if it gets kids excited about programming or engineering, then I think that’s a win.”

He also thinks a world record would be appropriate for Kansas City.

“We have the best best baseball team,” he said. “We might as well have the best Rubik’s-Cube-solving robot, too.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Olathe co-workers build a superfast Rubik’s Cube robot for a Guinness World Record attempt."