February 6, 2009 You might have thought Professor Erno Rubik, the creator of the Rubik’s cube, might have rested on his laurels (and the piles of money the puzzle surely earned him), but no. Erno has been busy churning out a variety of puzzles over the years, but none has captured the imagination of the world quite like his ubiquitous cube. He is hoping to change that with his latest creation the Rubik’s 360.
The name refers to the fact that the new device is spherical instead of cuboid and consists of a transparent plastic housing and two further internal plastic spheres - both independently suspended on a rotating axis - with six colored balls at its center. To solve the puzzle each of the colored balls must be steered through holes in the spheres and into their respective colored ‘home slot’ domes on the outside. This doesn’t sound like much of a ‘puzzle’ – more of a rattle – but we’re willing to reserve judgment until we can get our hands on the device. Rubik himself admits: “it’s a more kinetic challenge, more physical, because gravity is involved, so those expecting a brainteaser might be better served rifling through the bottom drawer for the original Rubik’s Cube.
The Rubik’s 360 is due to hit stores this July/August at the asking price of GBP 15.99.
Darren Quick