This Robot Can Solve the Rubik’s Cube in Just Over Half of a Second

0.637 seconds is all it took for Infineon’s “Sub1 Reloaded” robot to crack the Rubik’s Cube — considerably less than the fastest human time of 4.9 seconds.

Once the shutters were removed from the machine’s sensor cameras, the computer was able to detect how the cube was scrambled. Infineon’s AURIX processor then determined the fastest solution, sending commands to six motor-controlled arms to adjust the puzzle accordingly.

Every Rubik’s Cube can be unscrambled with just 20 movements. A variety of algorithms can be used to solve the puzzle, the most well-known of which is the Fridrich Method. But Infineon’s constructor Albert Beer did not design his prodigy with the fewest moves in mind. Rather, he was intent on achieving the best time — he even allowed the “Sub1 Reloaded” a few extra moves to reach this goal.

You can read more about the project — which debuted back at Electronica in Munich — here and check out the record-setting attempt below!