A ROBOT has broken the world record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik's Cube, according to its makers.

Video shows how the Sub1 Reloaded machine whizzed the toy in a blur of twists and turns, taking just 637 milliseconds to complete the puzzle in 21 moves.

3 The Sub1 Reloaded robot solved a Rubik's Cube in the fastest ever time of 0.637 seconds Credit: Infineon

It shaved a quarter of a second off the previous best of 0.887 seconds, which was achieved by an earlier version of the same robot using a different computer processor.

Tech firm Infineon staged the record attempt at the Electronica trade fair in Munich to demonstrate its auto-drive technology for cars.

It says the same powerful computer brain designed to swerve round obstacles is also brilliant at solving spatial puzzles like the Rubik's Cube.

At the press of a button, blinkers are lifted from the robot's sensors, allowing it to analyse the positions of the coloured squares and calculate the moves needed so all six sides show a single colour.

It then transmitted commands to six motor-controlled arms, which held the central square of each of the cube's six faces and twisted them 21 times to solve the puzzle.

The whole process was completed in less than two thirds of a second, and it was only afterwards the number of moves could be counted by checking a software readout.

3 Even the slo-mo video is a blur of motion as the robot arms whizz the toy in different directions to solve the puzzle Credit: Infineon

3 The machine analyses the position of the coloured squares and calculates how to return them to the correct order in the blink of an eye Credit: Infineon

A special "speed cube" - designed to have less friction between than the original version of the toy - was used to help keep the time to a minimum.

Infineon said the World Cube Association - the governing body for Rubik puzzle competitions - had approved its use.

A standard three-sided Rubik's Cube can be arranged in 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible combinations - but all can be unscrambled in just 20 moves.

Albert Beer, the boffin who built Sub1 robot, designed it to find the fastest way to solve the puzzle even if that involves more moves than the minimum theoretically possible.

Infineon wants to highlight the speed at which its chips and Aurix microcontrollers can help cars respond to obstacles and automatically apply their brakes.

The German company's spokesman Gregor Rodehueser said: "We used this as a metaphor to show how digital systems are constructed.

"We want to show that problems can be solved much more efficiently using microelectronics.

"This is also the case when it comes to automated driving, where you have to have very low latencies and absolutely reliable and quick technologies."

RELATED STORIES Video PUZZLING BEHAVIOUR Watch astonishing moment M-way driver plays with Rubik’s Cube while behind wheel Craze-y in love 100 biggest fads of all time revealed from Crazy Frog to Friends... but how many were YOU caught up in? Revealed ARMAGEDDON OUT OF HERE Nasa's plan to save the Earth from asteroids by sending a robot to bring space boulder to the MOON ESPRESS-OH-OH-OH! Swiss coffee shop will use SEX ROBOTS to give customers oral sex while they enjoy a cuppa ROBOT SCAVENGER Terrifying robot with a mouth and gut that EATS and digests living things for energy is created by UK boffins

To be regarded as an official record, the stunt must be signed off by the Guinness World Records organisation, which was not present at the event.

A spokeswoman said: "If Infineon feel they have beaten the current record, we encourage them to make an application on our website and submit their evidence for our records management team to review."

Mr Rodehueser said the paperwork would be submitted shortly.

The official Rubik's Cube record for a human is 4.904 seconds, set by 14-year-old "speedcuber" Lucus Etter last year.

But just days ago, the American schoolboy's world best was smashed by 20-year-old Dutchman Mats Valk, who solved a scrambled cube in just 4.74 seconds at a championship event in Indonesia.

Today the UK firm that controls rights to the Rubik's Cube suffered a blow as judges at the European Court of Justice ruled its shape cannot be trademarked - paving the way for cheap copycats.

More than 350 million of the iconic toys have been sold worldwide since it was invented in 1974 by Hungarian architect Erno Rubik.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368