If you created say a 6x6x6 cube with Daniel's pieces, there would be 64 cubies sitting in the middle. It would be possible to solve the 6x6x6 cube on the surface, but for these internal cubies to be out of whack. It would add an extra dimension to the difficulty of solving the puzzle if you had to fix the interior cubes as well...

It is not as bad as you think. For simplicity's sake, consider a 4x4x4 cube.
Suppose you have a sequence of face moves that changes onlt the corners of the cube, and nothing else. By doing the same sequence with the interior slices instead (i.e. use r instead of R, f instead of F etc), then you have a sequence that does the same thing except on the interior cube corners.

Similar things apply to other interior cubies of larger cubes - by interchanging r and R, f and F, u and U etc, all interior cubies correspond to some surface cubies. Therefore you only need to find seuences that move surface cubies without changing the interior ones.

David Singmaster calls this inside-out turning of the cube 'Evisceration' in Cubic Circular 5&6.

I figured it would be possible to do a sort of inside out method, where you first fix the 2x2x2 cube right in the middle, then the 4x4x4 outside, etc... would make an interesting side problem.

Daniel, when you have patented the 'mechanism', do you intend to sell the puzzle to members of the site, or let us know how we can make them for ourselves?

Yes, I am finding some manufacturers to product this puzzle, and this material "Magical Attractor".
After the patent application accepted, I will tell our members, any interested party can file a Notice of Opposition to the grant of the Letters Patent when the Complete Specification published by IPONZ. I hope it will come soon.
Using the Magical Attractor is much easier and more interesting than making it.

Just a couple of questions about the magical attractor/new puzzles: 1) Is it a magnetically based system? 2) However it works, is there a chance it would be able to erase magnetic media?

If you just want to use the exposed faces of 216 cubies, or permanently ignore the properties of the 64 interior cubes,
you do not need to worry about how to fix them. I think their fate are worse than the women lived in Afghan several months ago (at least the latter could take a peep at the outside world).

Daniel

even my garage remote control destroyed a very important CD-RW. im sure this puzzle will...

I just finished an experiment:
(1). I found an old notebook computer CAF superLITE 386sx with MS-DOS V 3.3,
I format a new floppy Disk ¡V (3M IMATION 1.44 MB), put system files inside.
Copied 2 files QB.EXE & QB.INI into this floppy Disk.
(2). I used this floppy Disk to start the computer. No Problem.
I ran QB.exe and saved a short program file. No Problem.
(3). I put this floppy Disk on the Note Book computer, and play my 3 x 3 x 3 Cube (The new one,
unmarked) above it, slide this CUBE on both sides of the Diskette several circles.
(4). I used this floppy Disk to re-start the computer. No Problem.
I ran QB.exe and load the short program file to test again. No Problem.

But that is just my experiment, the safety of this puzzle have to be approved by authorities, I think.

Well, that's a promising start. Here's another experiment you could try. Instead of just a few quick swipes over the disk, try a more prolonged exposure, eg. let the puzzle sit on top of the disk overnight and see if it still works OK in the morning. If that works, try it again with a video tape. Given how close it looks to a standard Rubik's Cube at first glance, I'd probably absentmindedly do exactly that at some point. L8r.

Dear Tim,

I had finished another experiment as you requested this morning:

I put the unmarked 3x3x3 puzzle on the diskette yesterday (23 March 2002, 2:00 PM +12:00)
and put the coloured 3x3x3 puzzle (the 1st one New Puzzle) on an cassette (outside the box)
one hour later (23 March, 2002, 3:10 PM +12:00).

This morning I took them to inspect if they still work (24 March 2002, 6:00 AM +12:00) .
The diskette can still start the computer, run the program, NO Trouble;
I can still hear the music of this cassette clearly, NO Problem.

What's the next experiment? Please advise me, Thank you.

Daniel
(24 March 2002, 8:00 AM +12:00)