Hi from a LEGO Speedcuber robot creator

[IAssemble]

I worked out how to solve the regular 3x3x3 cube for myself back in about 1980 soon after it became a popular and over the years have worked out how to solve all the other cubes from 2x2x2 up to 7x7x7. About 2 years ago I saw one of the robotic LEGO 3x3x3 cube solvers on YouTube and was inspired to create my own.

I personally solve the 3x3x3 in about 50s (not particularly fast I guess) but my LEGO "Yellow Cube Machine" robot can solve it in about 17.7s including the inpection time (more like 14s if you don't include inspection). My personal time for the V-CUBE 7 is getting faster but still relatively slow at about 15 minutes.

Do my robotic creations qualify me as a "speedcuber" even though my personal times are a little slow?

I have also created two LEGO "MultiCuber" robots that are capable of solving cubes other than the standard 3x3x3. One can solve a relay of 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 in about 15 minutes and another can solve a 6x6x6 V-CUBE 6 in about 26 minutes.

I believe that some of these robots have already been discussed in some of the threads here but if you haven't seen them please visit my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/IAssemble

I developed all of my own software for these robots including a high-speed (average 21 move solution) for the 3x3x3 solver and generic algorithm for NxNxN cubes (tested on virtual cubes up to over 100x100x100) which typically generates solutions of around 100 moves for the 4x4x4 and 190 moves for the 5x5x5.

It has been suggested that the speedcubing community might be interested in a program that allows you to explore new move sequences for 4x4x4 and possibly 5x5x5 speedcubing solutions. I'd be interested to know if this really is the case.

I look forward to some interesting discussions...

Regards
IAssemble

 

[endless_akatsuki]

That's really amazing. New software like that is really cool!

 

[IamWEB]

The fact you practice the cubes and care about the times you get makes you a speedcuber.

And yes, you'll definitely see interest in your creations here, so I'm happy to say you came to right place.

I'm gonna check out your channel soon, I'm sure I'll like what I find.

 

[miniGOINGS]

It has been suggested that the speedcubing community might be interested in a program that allows you to explore new move sequences for 4x4x4 and possibly 5x5x5 speedcubing solutions. I'd be interested to know if this really is the case.

Yes! Very much so! I would love to have an optimal or sub-optimal solving program for 4x4 and 5x5.

 

[Forte]

"Do my robotic creations qualify me as a "speedcuber" even though my personal times are a little slow?"

I'd say no, but then again, the definition of "speedcuber" seems to have a few of unanswered things.

Isn't that like saying you are good at quick calculations because you made a program to do it?

I'd say you are a speedcuber in the fact that you are aspiring to get faster, but I don't think the robot counts as a part of you

 

[Edward]

"Do my robotic creations qualify me as a "speedcuber" even though my personal times are a little slow?"

I'd say no, but then again, the definition of "speedcuber" seems to have a few of unanswered things.

Isn't that like saying you are good at quick calculations because you made a program to do it?

I'd say you are a speedcuber in the fact that you are aspiring to get faster, but I don't think the robot counts as a part of you

Yeah, I realised I was wrong, deleted my post. But you got to it before that >.>.

 

[IAssemble]

Thanks - can you describe a little more what you would like from a 4x4x4/5x5x5 software solver? For example do you just need full solutions? Or solutions for a few pieces with part of the cube solved and part "blank" (don't care) for working out better algorithms for manual speedcubeing solves? Or something else?

 

[IAssemble]

Thanks

 

[Kirjava]

Can you post any more details about the solvers you've written?

EDIT: this was posted while i was posting;

For example do you just need full solutions? Or solutions for a few pieces with part of the cube solved and part "blank" (don't care) for working out better algorithms for manual speedcubeing solves? Or something else?

Both, either, none. Just show us whatever cool stuff you can do. ^_^ (Although alg generators would be nice)

 

[IAssemble]

Thanks - I probably spend more time working on the robots and software algorithms than practicing my manual solve but as I observed I am trying to improve my 7x7x7 time!

 

[Deleted member 4527]

If you enjoy solving cubes as fast as you can, then you are a speedcuber. Welcome And that is really amazing! will check your channel soon.

EDIT: It'd be cool if we can have a look at the algorithm

 

[IAssemble]

Can you post any more details about the solvers you've written?

EDIT: this was posted while i was posting;

For example do you just need full solutions? Or solutions for a few pieces with part of the cube solved and part "blank" (don't care) for working out better algorithms for manual speedcubeing solves? Or something else?

Both, either, none. Just show us whatever cool stuff you can do. ^_^ (Although alg generators would be nice)

Hi Kirjava, what kind of details do you want?
Initially everything is coded in C++ running under cygwin under Windows (but the code is generic C++ so could be compiled to run anywhere. I wrote a Java version of the (slow) 3x3x3 solver and generic NxNxN solver to allow them to run on Nokia and Android mobile phones as an alternative to the laptop (see http://www.youtube.com/user/ARMflix). I have a range of 3x3x3 solvers from one which procedurally implements roughly the algorithm I use to solve the cube myself (a variation of a simple 5 phase algorithm I guess) through a number of variations of table-driven versions of 7, 6, 5 and 4-phase algorithms which typically generate down to about 25 move solutions in a short time and one 2-phase algorithm that typically finds a 20 or 21 move solution. All the algorithms are used in a way that allows them to generate a large number of solutions in a short time and pick the best from those generated. My generic NxNxN solution is a multi-phase table driven algorithm which extends the 3x3x3 case up to 7x7x7. The way my algorithm works, all cubes above 7x7x7 can be solved with the tables for cubes up to 7x7x7. There are a variety of algorithms that I use to generate the table entries...

So what exactly would you want from an "algorithm generator" for 4x4x4?

 

[Ranzha]

Oh, I know you! You're that guy with the LEGO cube stuff.

Your work with the cube is truly amazing.
What did you do to make your 4x4x4, 5x5x5, and 6x6x6 solver?

 

[masterofthebass]

So what exactly would you want from an "algorithm generator" for 4x4x4?

An algorithm generator for 4x4 would ideally be somewhat similar to http://software.rubikscube.info/JACube/ This allows the restrictions of moves for solving, various goals for ranking output, and the ability to find multiple solutions.

 

[IAssemble]

Yes, that's me
You may have seen my original 3x3x3 and 4x4x4 solvers on the ARMflix channel on YouTube - they were my first attempt at a mechanism that could solve the 3x3x3 cube "smoothly" without the push-to-tilt mechanisms used by many of the other solvers. The original 4x4x4 was an adaptation of the same mechanism to enable it to turn one or two layers. I had to come up with the more general "MultiCuber" mechanism to allow the robot to turn 3 (or more layers) to solve the 6x6x6 and be faster and more reliable than the early 4x4x4 solver. Both the software and the mechanics have proved quite challenging.

 

[IAssemble]

So what exactly would you want from an "algorithm generator" for 4x4x4?

An algorithm generator for 4x4 would ideally be somewhat similar to http://software.rubikscube.info/JACube/ This allows the restrictions of moves for solving, various goals for ranking output, and the ability to find multiple solutions.

Thanks - I'll take a look at this sometime.

 

[Kirjava]

Hi Kirjava, what kind of details do you want?
Initially everything is coded in C++ running under cygwin under Windows (but the code is generic C++ so could be compiled to run anywhere. I wrote a Java version of the (slow) 3x3x3 solver and generic NxNxN solver to allow them to run on Nokia and Android mobile phones as an alternative to the laptop (see http://www.youtube.com/user/ARMflix). I have a range of 3x3x3 solvers from one which procedurally implements roughly the algorithm I use to solve the cube myself (a variation of a simple 5 phase algorithm I guess) through a number of variations of table-driven versions of 7, 6, 5 and 4-phase algorithms which typically generate down to about 25 move solutions in a short time and one 2-phase algorithm that typically finds a 20 or 21 move solution. All the algorithms are used in a way that allows them to generate a large number of solutions in a short time and pick the best from those generated. My generic NxNxN solution is a multi-phase table driven algorithm which extends the 3x3x3 case up to 7x7x7. The way my algorithm works, all cubes above 7x7x7 can be solved with the tables for cubes up to 7x7x7. There are a variety of algorithms that I use to generate the table entries...

So what exactly would you want from an "algorithm generator" for 4x4x4?

Wow, I didn't know the ARM based solvers were you too. I guess it should be obvious now. Nice to hear that the applications are portable, I guess the GUI has to be reproduced for other platforms though. (Out of interest, what's the windows GUI written in? Something like Qt would be useful)

A generic NxNxN solver would be crazy useful (although all you really need is 4x4x4 to be able to apply the algorithms to any sized cube), would need either facelet definition or state definition (based on piece permutation/orientation) or both. Text input for this would be fine, but everyone loves a GUI

I imagine the problem would be making algorithms to solve 3 pieces (for example) efficient, since all your solvers so far have been designed to work with the entire cube.

As for the 3x3x3 solvers, is the 2-phase algorithm kociemba, or something else? I'd like to hear more about the 7/6/5 and 4 phase algs, too.

Thanks for the info!

 

[miniGOINGS]

For example do you just need full solutions? Or solutions for a few pieces with part of the cube solved and part "blank" (don't care) for working out better algorithms for manual speedcubeing solves? Or something else?

Both, either, none. Just show us whatever cool stuff you can do. ^_^ (Although alg generators would be nice)

Yea, the alg generator would be simply amazing. I wouldn't use whole-cube solutions, only for a few pieces. Being able to blank out pieces would be awesome.

I love the GUI of Ron's Cube Solver, and how it allows move restrictions.

EDIT: Kir, C and C++.

 

[MichaelP.]

Welcome to the forum! Just out of curiosity, does your 6x6 misalign during robo-solves (which is what I will be calling them from now until the end of time)?

 

[Kirjava]

EDIT: Kir, C and C++.

I meant libraries. Of course I read what he already said.