Make: Volume 77

PROJECTS: Self-Solving Rubik’s Cube

corner pieces move and the colors scramble. The

pieces don’t come off because they’re hooked on

each other.

The Self-Solving Rubikʼs Cube turns the face by

turning the shaft with a motor

(Figure

C

)

. I put 6

sets of gears, motors, motor drivers, and rotary

position sensors — along with a single board

microcontroller, a battery, and an accelerometer

— inside the Rubikʼs Cube

(Figures

D

and

E

)

.

The accelerometer recognizes when the Self-

Solving Rubik’s Cube is placed on the desk. When

the microcontroller commands the motor driver,

the motor connected to it rotates, turning the

gears, and, in turn, the face.

The ...