A student from the University of Bristol in England broke the world record for solving a 4×4 Rubik’s cube in less than a minute. He did it using a robot he built with his own two hands.

Record-Breaking Robot

Matthew Pidden could achieve this thanks to his robot, which he named “The Revenger.” Pidden designed, built, and trained the robot in only 15 weeks, part of his dissertation project. At only 22 years old, Pidden taught himself everything with support from his supervisor, Dr Neill Campbell.

Pidden’s robot completed a 4×4 Rubik’s Cube in only 45 seconds, beating the previous record by 42.695 seconds. However, he didn’t accomplish that on his first try. Two out of five attempts reportedly beat the world record, but only one hit his goal of under 50 seconds. His official time was 45.305 seconds.

A traditional Rubik’s Cube is 3×3. A 4×4 is more complex because it has more cubes within the cube. A user is tested with more algorithms and techniques when solving a 4×4. The world record for solving a regular Rubik’s Cube is 3.05 seconds, set by Yiheng Wang.

His robot works by using cameras to scan the cube’s colors. A program on Pidden’s laptop runs the scans, and then a signal is sent to the motors that power the robot’s arms. According to Pidden, this all happens quickly. The scans, he says, take only a second. The Bristol student estimates that planning the moves only takes nanoseconds.

Pidden understands that records are meant to be broken. He said he hopes that his achievements encourage other students to tackle complex projects like his.

“I did this in 15 weeks on a tight budget, so I am convinced that this world record can be beaten too, and I hope other students will be keen to give it a go,” he said.

The results will now be submitted to the Guinness World Records team for verification.