Jan 12, 2015 | By Kira
Almost every single one of us, at some point in our lives, has picked up one of those dreaded, colourful blocks, and dedicated a few minutes, or perhaps hours, to solving it. Some of us succeed, but the majority (myself included) probably gave up in heated frustration. I’m talking about the infamous 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube, the classic 3D combination puzzle that was invented in the 1970s and has been taunting puzzle-solvers ever since.
Of course, if you happen to be a speedcuber, that is, the type of person who sees the standard 3x3x3, or even 6x6x6 cubes as child’s play, then the record-breaking, “Over the Top” Rubik’s Cube, created by Dutch puzzle designer Oskar van Deventer, is for you.
The mighty, 3D printed puzzle boasts 17 tiles on each side, and is said to have over 66.9 quinquagintatrecentillion possible ways of being scrambled (that’s 6.69 * 10^1054—a figure with over a thousand zeroes. It measures nearly half a foot across and took more than 60 hours of manufacturing (not including all of the prototypes) to construct. Due to the complex and intensive 3D printing involved, not many versions of the “Over the Top” exist, and purchasing your own will cost you thousands. The first piece alone costs €579.55 on Shapeways—the printing service used to print the final prototype—and 26 other pieces are required for the full puzzle to take shape.
This video shows van Deventer actually using the puzzle, and explains how it is held together by several long, floating anchors that go almost halfway into the cube. They keep the puzzle stable while still allowing rotation in the proper directions, although as is visible in the video, each turn requires a significant amount of effort and proper alignment.
So, let’s say you do get your hands on this unofficial, record-breaking behemoth. Just how long would it take you to actually solve it?
One dedicated cuber, Kenneth Brandon (known as RedKB), managed to solve the puzzle in a mere 7.5 hours, and posted the entire process on YouTube. “The way you solve a 1717 is just like the way you would with a 7x7 or a 5x5,” he explains. “It isn’t that hard, but it is very, very tedious.” He used the reduction method, which entails reducing the cube into 3x3 sections, starting with the centers and them moving out to the edges.
The 7.5 hour video was actually shot over five days, with each day being devoted to a new center. While Brandon does not recommend actually watching the entire full-length video, this time-lapse version runs at just over six minutes and contains insights into how he figured it out. The sounds of his excitement after having completed it are worth waiting for in themselves.
So, if you’ve got seven hours and several thousand dollars on hand, the record-breaking “Over the Top” rubik’s cube could provide hours of fun—or frustration—depending on how you look at it. Or, as van Deventer points out in his video, even if you don’t end up solving the whole thing, you’d still end up with some very interesting and colourful Mondrian-style cubic patterns to decorate with.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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