Fastest-Ever Rubik’s Cube Solve Sets Stunning New Benchmark
Records are made to be broken — and the fastest Rubik’s Cube solve by a robot is no exception. The new world record now stands at an astonishing 103 milliseconds, setting a new bar for speed.
The achievement comes from a team of undergraduate engineering students at Purdue University in the U.S.: Junpei Ota, Aden Hurd, Matthew Patrohay, and Alex Berta. Their accomplishment has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records.
This time is not only faster than a human blink, but also smashes the previous record of 305 milliseconds, set by a team from Mitsubishi. It was only nine years ago that the one-second barrier was first broken.
“It’s solved before you even realize it’s moving,” says Patrohay. “Before you notice any change, it’s already done.”
Dubbed Purdubik’s Cube , the robot relies on several key innovations. The cube itself has been specially modified to withstand the high-speed rotations without falling apart. A custom-built vision system identifies the cube’s current state, while advanced algorithms determine the quickest solution path.
Together, these elements make the robot capable of solving the puzzle at near-lightning speed.
The team has fine-tuned the cube’s design to precisely control acceleration and deceleration, allowing for near-millisecond-level responsiveness. Combined with other upgrades, this makes the robot a groundbreaking example of high-speed object manipulation.
“This isn’t just about setting a record,” says Nak-seung Patrick Hyun, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue who advised the team. “It shows how far we can push synthetic systems in terms of speed and coordination.”
He adds, “It also gives us valuable insight into how natural systems — like the human brain and muscles working together — manage ultra-fast, synchronized movement.”
The robot first debuted publicly in December at a student engineering competition. Since then, the team has continued improving its performance, even adding a Bluetooth feature that lets anyone challenge the robot by scrambling a cube remotely for it to solve.
When it comes to human speedcubers, the current record for the fastest Rubik’s Cube solve stands at an impressive 3.05 seconds — held by 7-year-old Xuanyi Geng from China. And there are plenty of quirky variations too: for example, the fastest time to solve a cube while riding a bicycle is 9.03 seconds.
The new robotic achievement builds on decades of Rubik’s Cube history. First invented in the 1970s, the puzzle has continued to inspire generations of engineers and problem-solvers.
“I’ve always been inspired by past records,” says Matthew Patrohay. “Back in high school, I saw a video of MIT students solving the cube in 380 milliseconds. I remember thinking, ‘that’s amazing — I’d love to beat that someday.’ Now, here I am at Purdue, helping set a new milestone.”
