A Rubik's cube solved in 1 second is hard to believe, but if you say that a robot solved it in 1 second, you are not only amazed but will applaud the resultant effect of technology combined with human intelligence. Yes, that's what software engineers Jay Flatland and Paul Rose's creation just did and the proof lies in the form of a YouTube video.

According to Venture Beat, the video shows that the robot solves the age-old puzzle first in 1.196 seconds, then in 1.152 seconds and 1.047 seconds, and at the very end, an astounding 1.019 seconds. If their creation gets approved, the duo is all set to beat the highest record set by the current winner at 3.253 seconds, whereas the human record is held by teenager Lucas Etter at 4.904 seconds in the 2015 River Hill Fall competition in Maryland. Their robot not only shows speed but is highly consistent at the same time.

A lot of effort and creative thinking have gone into the making of this cube solver, as represented by Mirror.  Stepper stones, 3D-printed frames, and four USB webcams, form the main elements of the robot. Four holes have been drilled into each side of the cube so that it can be fitted into the machine, and the four webcams on four corners monitor the calculated moves. Finally, the Kociemba Rubik's cube-solving algorithm is implemented that coordinates the robot's moves with the math.

Having said that, the robot can only function when all four cameras are on. So when the cube is unscrambled and reset, the cameras are guarded with paper, following which the robot sets to work on the new puzzle. According to Mail Online, Flatland said that the four USB webcams that are hooked to a computer 'determine the state' of the cube's colors 'very rapidly', leading to the consistent execution of super-speed by this latest innovation.

The Rubik's cube or the Magic Cube as it was originally named, was invented by a Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture, Ernő Rubik. The colorful item has sold for millions worldwide and given a lot of people many painful and frustrating hours of an unsolved puzzle. Now, four decades later, this amazing invention still continues to be in the news. 

The YouTube video has already received around 998,000 hits ever since they uploaded it on January 11, and it looks like Flatland's statement that they are 'in the process right now of applying for an official world record' will become a fact very soon.