Make your own Rubik’s Cube solving robot

2nd January 2024

Paige West

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Andrea Favero has created CUBOTino, a powerful Rubik’s Cube-solving robot designed to spare enthusiasts the frustration and occasional embarrassment of not solving the world’s bestselling toy.

CUBOTino’s name combines ‘cube’ and ‘robot’, with an Italian twist in ‘ino’, denoting its small size and paying homage to Andrea’s heritage.

The inception of CUBOTino can be traced back to a Python challenge during the lockdown and Andrea’s milestone 50th birthday. It was then that he ventured into the realm of computer vision, a field he once thought exceeded his coding expertise.

How CUBOTino works

Servo motors manipulate the Rubik’s Cube within a 3D printed enclosure. A Raspberry Pi Camera then captures the cube’s status, assessing the positions of the coloured squares. The Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, using OpenCV, analyses these images and employs Cube Explorer to formulate a solution.

CUBOTino typically takes only 20 seconds to scan and about 70 seconds to solve the cube. The robot’s progress is displayed on a screen in the form of a percentage and progress bar.

The control mechanism of CUBOTino is equally intriguing. A capacitive sensor, responding to different touches, manages the operations – from starting a solving cycle to shutting down the Raspberry Pi.

The evolution of CUBOTino

The original CUBOTino, which took five months to build, underwent revisions after feedback from its Instructables page. Andrea’s next iteration was the ‘base’ version – more compact and economical, with a total material cost of about €40.

But Andrea didn’t stop there. He created the CUBOTino Micro, the world’s smallest Rubik’s Cube robot solver, capable of solving a 30mm Rubik’s Cube keychain. This miniature marvel measures just 7cm x 9cm x 9cm.

Building your own CUBOTino

For DIY enthusiasts, all files for creating a CUBOTino are available on GitHub, including step files for personal customisation. Detailed instructions are provided on Instructables, complete with comments and tips from those who have successfully built their own.

Andrea has also adapted the software to be compatible with various Raspberry Pi boards, enabling more people to embark on their own journey of building a Rubik’s Cube-solving robot.