Rubik's Cube Challenge Gets A New Edge

Rubik's Cube Challenge Gets A New Edge
by Brenna Angel
NPR Weekend Edition Sunday
January 8, 2012 from WUKY

When Lucas Etter's grandparents bought him a Rubik's Cube while he was visiting their retirement home, it was mainly to pass the time. Fast-forward two years, and that pastime is now an obsession.

Many are still playing with a toy that's been around for more than 30 years: the Rubik's Cube. The puzzle that challenges players to align a single color on each side first went on the market in 1980. Now a new generation of players is pushing the limits of the Rubik's Cube using modern technology.

Lucas, 10, is a "speedcuber." He uses memorized sequences or algorithms to solve the 3-D puzzle in a matter of seconds. Shortly after getting his first cube, Lucas turned to Internet videos to find the best method.

"YouTube has a lot of random stuff, but it does have good stuff too," he says.

Lucas is getting pretty fast. At a competition in November, he reached a new personal best for solving the cube: 12 seconds.

"I want to get the world record," he says.

The current record holder is teenage Australian Feliks Zemdegs. At last year's Melbourne Winter Open, Zemdegs solved the cube in just 5.66 seconds. Video of his triumph was posted to YouTube.
Feliks Zemdegs: World-Record Holder In 2011
fazrulz1/YouTube

"I look at these kids and it's quite incredible what they do," says Tyson Mao, co-founder of the World Cube Association.

The group organizes speedcubing competitions. Mao believes anyone, regardless of age or intelligence, can learn how to solve the cube. Plus, with the growth of competitions and Web videos, the Rubik's Cube is still a cool, inexpensive toy to play with.

"I think YouTube is probably one of the biggest pieces in terms of the spread of the Rubik's Cube. It's really allowed the globalization of the Rubik's Cube, and it's really made it accessible to everyone," he says.

The resurgence of cubing has led to the development of an educational program for teachers and even knock-off cubes from China that can be manipulated faster in competition than the original Rubik's Cube.

Lucas is pushing himself to get as fast as he can, practicing two hours a day. He's also using another piece of technology to shave seconds off his time: an app on his iPod that generates scrambles for his Cube.

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