The Mirror Blocks, also known as the Mirror Cube and Bump Cube, is a type of

combination puzzle A combination puzzle, also known as a sequential move puzzle, is a puzzle which consists of a set of pieces which can be manipulated into different combinations by a group of operations. Many such puzzles are mechanical puzzles of polyhedral s ...

and shape modification of the standard 3×3×3

Rubik's Cube The Rubik's Cube is a Three-dimensional space, 3-D combination puzzle originally invented in 1974 by Hungarians, Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik t ...

and was invented in 2006. The puzzle's internal mechanism is nearly identical to that of the Rubik's Cube, although it differs from normal 3×3 cubes in that all pieces are the same color (typically reflective gold or silver stickers) and are identified by shape since each one is also a distinct rectangular prism. Like the Ghost Cube and Mastermorphix, the mirror cube has a 3×3×3 shape, meaning that it can be solved the same way as the 3×3×3 Rubik's Cube. The fastest timed solving of this cubes clocks out at 6 seconds, being solved by Hugo.

Origin

The Mirror Blocks were originally invented by Hidetoshi Takeji in 2006. He initially named the puzzle the "Bump Cube" due to it having an uneven, bumpy surface when scrambled. At a competition in Osaka, Hidetoshi showed his puzzle to a speedcuber who took great interest in it. Hidetoshi decided to lend his puzzle to the speedcuber, who showed it to a project group. In the fall of 2008, the puzzle was first mass-produced in Boston by Rubik's and manufactured by MegaHouse. When it was released, it was officially named the Mirror Blocks. Mirror Blocks cubes have since been made by multiple manufacturers, and in versions with 4×4×4 and 5×5×5 mechanisms.

References

{{Reflist Rubik's Cube Mechanical puzzle cubes Japanese inventions