Disclosed herein is the 3-D puzzle implemented as a cube consisting of eight movable sectors configured to move about a central cross-piece created by three axels that are perpendicular to each other. Each movable sector includes three movable elements positioned orthogonally to each other. Each movable element has an outer edge surface attached to a holder. The holders of the three movable elements form a central cross inside the movable sector. The central cross allows the three movable elements to assume positions where the movable element is extracted or retracted relative to the hosting movable sector. Each holder of the movable element has a magnet positioned inside. The central piece of the 3-D cubical puzzle is formed by a central cross made of three orthogonal axes with flat ends configured to fix the movable elements in a static position and to move from one static position into another.

A 3-D magnetic puzzle is implemented as sphere consisting of movable sectors configured to move about a center piece. The movable sectors are configured to host movable elements configured to change a state of the 3-D magnetic puzzle, wherein: the Movable sectors are configured to change their positioning relative to each other; and the movable sectors include sphere segments with cavities configured to accommodate the movable elements comprising permanent magnets. Each of the movable elements is configured to move inside the cavity responsive to a magnetic field provided by the permanent magnets responsive to the movable sectors change their positioning relative to each other.

Disclosed is a smart magic cube controller. The smart magic cube controller includes: a controller body (1), the controller body (1) has a plurality of surfaces, and at least one surface of the controller body (1) is configured to be a display module (2); an posture sensing module (3); and a control module (4) in signal connection with the posture sensing module (3), wherein the control module (4) is configured to determine a current top surface of the controller body (1) according to placement state information collected by the posture sensing module (3), and transmits, according to the determined current top surface, a scene mode control instruction corresponding to the current top surface, and when the display module (2) is located on a surface, other than the current top surface and the bottom surface of the controller body (1), the control module (4) is configured to control a display picture of the display module (2) to be displayed upright. The smart magic cube controller is simple to operate and convenient to use; the display module (2) is arranged on a surface of the controller body (1), such that scene mode content of corresponding surfaces can be displayed; and a display picture of the display module (2) can always be displayed upright, thereby facilitating viewing and identifying.

A smart center shaft, a smart Rubik's Cube, and a timing method therefor. The smart center shaft comprises a core, a sensor, and a master control module. The core comprises a housing having a cavity. The sensor is mounted on the core. The sensor comprises a stator and a rotor. The stator is fixed on the housing. The rotor is configured to be connected and rotate simultaneously with a Rubik's Cube layer of the smart Rubik's Cube, thus allowing the rotor to rotate with the Rubik's Cube layer relative to the stator. The master control module is mounted within the cavity. The master control module is electrically connected to the sensor. The master control module acquires a rotation signal of the Rubik's Cube layer on the basis of the relative rotation between the rotor and the stator. The sensor and the core form one integral body, the degree of integration is high, and the consideration of complex assembly relations between the stator and a center block or an intermediate connecting block is avoided.

Disclosed are a smart spindle with a replaceable battery, and a smart Rubik's cube. The smart spindle comprises a core, a sensor and a main control module, wherein the core comprises a housing with a cavity; the main control module is mounted inside the cavity; the sensor is electrically connected to the main control module; the sensor is mounted at the core; the cavity is also used for mounting a battery, the housing is provided with a notch for having access to the battery, and the notch is in communication with the cavity; or, the exterior of the housing is used for mounting the battery, and the housing is provided with a through hole, such that the cavity is in communication with the exterior of the housing via the through hole. When the power for the smart Rubik's cube is insufficient, a player can remove the used battery and replace same with a fresh battery, such that the smart Rubik's cube can continue to be used immediately, without the need to perform charging and the need to stop use for a period of time, thereby facilitating the use by the player.

Systems and methods which provide for interactive haptic proxies for hand-graspable virtual reality (VR) objects using reconfigurable artifacts and facilitated through use of a haptic reconfigurable artifact toolkit are described. Embodiments provide a haptic reconfigurable artifact toolkit including a set of reconfigurable artifacts for use in forming reconfigurable artifact-based haptic proxies, a set of haptic hardware components for use with respect to reconfigurable artifact-based haptic proxies, and a haptic reconfigurable artifact software platform configured to facilitate generation of reconfigurable artifact-based haptic proxies using items of the set of reconfigurable artifacts and the set of haptic hardware components. Reconfigurable artifacts may be shaped to form reconfigurable artifact-based haptic proxies covering a wide range of hand-grasp postures.

A polyhedron (100) configured to be removably coupled by shape with another polyhedron (200) to form a Yoshimoto cube (1), such polyhedron (100) comprising: eight half-cubes (101, 102) equal to each other, each of which being delimited by three outer faces (1011, 1012, 1013), having a substantially square configuration, arranged orthogonally to each other whereby each outer face (1011, 1012, 1013) is delimited by two edges (10111, 10112) in common with the other outer faces (1012, 1013) and two free edges (10113, 10114), and by 6 inner faces (1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019), having a substantially triangular configuration, wherein each inner face (1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019) extends between a vertex (V), in common with the other inner faces of the half-cube (101), substantially coinciding with the geometric centre of a cube delimited by said three outer faces (1011, 1012, 1013), and a respective base, corresponding to a free edge (10113) between two free edges of one of said outer faces (1011, 1012, 1013); and eight hinge members (300), each configured to connect a free edge (10113, 10113′) of each half-cube (101, 101′) with a free edge (10113′, 10113) of another half-cube (101′, 101) adjacent thereto, wherein each hinge member (300) comprises at least one axis of rotation (301) around which the two half-cubes (101,101′) connected by such hinge member (300) may mutually move; characterized in that each hinge member (300) of such polyhedron (100): extends along each of the two free edges (10113, 10113′) of the two respective adjacent half-cubes (101, 101′) connected by the hinge member (300), starting from a same end of each free edge (10113, 10113′) of the two free edges and for an overall length lower than the length of each free edge (10113, 10113′), optionally substantially other than or equal to half the length of each free edge (10113, 10113′), defines an axis of rotation (301) parallel to each free edge (10113, 10113′), and allows a mutual angular movement between the two respective adjacent half-cubes (101, 101′) connected by it, comprised between a first configuration, wherein the outer faces delimited by the respective free edges (10113, 10113′), at which the connection with the hinge member (300) is made, match, and the corresponding portions of the respective free edges (10113, 10113′) which are not connected by the hinge member (<

According to another aspect, a method of determining a current state of a cubic puzzle independent of information concerning a prior state of the cubic puzzle using at least one RGB sensor. With the cubic puzzle maintained in a first state, (a) illuminating a first colored surface selected from the plurality of colored surfaces with a single source of light selected from the plurality of sources of light because of an association with the first colored surface and sensing a color of the first colored surface with the RGB sensor when the first colored surface is illuminated. Repeating act (a) by separately illuminating each of the plurality of colored surfaces with a respective single source of light selected from the plurality of sources of light because of an association between the respective single source of light and the respective colored surface that is being illuminated, and act of processing the colors sensed by the RGB sensor at each of the preceding acts to determine a location and orientation of each of the plurality of tiles with the cubic puzzle in the first state.

A transformational toy comprises at least six polyhedron bodies, at least one connection strip for connecting the polyhedron bodies in a chain, wherein the connection strip provides hinges between every pair of adjacent polyhedron bodies of the chain, wherein the hinges facilitate movement of the polyhedron bodies between at least two different geometric transformations of a combined body of all polyhedron bodies, wherein at least one of the connection strips is connecting at least three adjacent polyhedron bodies.

Connector element includes an enclosure made of a generally non-magnetic material having an open face; an insulating plate with a plate aperture; a permanent magnet placed inside the enclosure, the magnet dimensions preventing egress from the enclosure through the plate aperture; a washer made of a conductive soft ferromagnetic material with a washer aperture being larger than dimensions of said permanent magnet, placed inside the enclosure. Also disclosed are transformable electronic devices, optionally including displays, toys and educational kits built using the self-actuating connector elements.