So a LEGO robot might be able to monster a Rubik’s cube in a little over three seconds, page but put together a dedicated machine from a more flexible part list and well, the popular multi-coloured puzzle getsdominated. Try 1.019 seconds on for size. A pair of guys on YouTube by the names of Jay Flatland and Paul Rose built there own mechanical solver using an array of webcams, 3D printed frames and stepper motors. There’s nothing inherently complex about the setup — in fact, it looks like more work went into the software: As you can see in the image, the program takes the image input from the cameras and converts it into a “unrolled” version for human consumption, as well as something the solver can understand. The robot is wired to function only when all cameras are working, so priming is done by simply putting paper in front ...
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