The kids actually built this robot back in 2016, but Matthias asked a few days ago if he could build it again. It was an easier build for him this time around!

Some of the differences this time:

• It took Matthias half a day to build the Lego Mindstorms: Mindcub3r robot then he programmed it yesterday. Last time, it took us two days to build, and Corran was the one who programmed it.
• He didn’t have to jimmy anything to get it working! Last time, we had to use a piece of cardboard to keep the cube from bouncing around too much. The robot worked properly right from the start.
• There are still scanning errors here and there, but for the most part, it solves the Rubik’s cube correctly.
• The type of Rubik’s cube matters! If you can get a decent one, that would work best in the robot. The smoother movement it has the better.

The instructions and programming are located at the same site as 3 years ago: MindCub3r for EV3

The instructions are listed very clearly there so I won’t repeat them here.

You can also learn to solve the Rubik’s cube yourself. You Can Do the Rubik’s Cube is a good place to start!

Matthias has been using the Lego Mindstorms: MindCub3r for more than just solving the Rubik’s cube. He and his brothers like to solve the cube into different patterns. As an aside, I think you can program the MindCub3r to solve the cube into patterns instead of just the same color on each side.

The algorithm circled in yellow is a pattern that Matthias made up. He could figure out how to make the pattern in 22 moves, but the MindCub3r was able to solve it in 6 moves. If the MindCub3r can solve the pattern in 6 moves, that means that Matthias can make the pattern in 6 moves instead of 22, right? He ended up making a slow-motion video of the MindCub3r solving the cube from the pattern. Then, he watched the video, so that he could do those 6 moves IN REVERSE to get to the pattern faster than 22 moves. Yes, I know, that sounds really confusing, doesn’t it? It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about!

I think this is a problem that has been bugging Matthias all morning, even while he is supposed to be doing schoolwork. He seems pretty happy that he was able to solve it! And I’m sitting here just a bit flabbergasted at how his mind works!

-Lynn