Color Universal Rubik's Cube
Don't let color blindness stop you from having fun.
Problem
While Rubik's Cube continues to be famous and popular around the world, some people cannot fully enjoy it; that is because of color blindness. In a research study, it is estimated that as many as 4.2% of European Caucasians have red-green blindness of varying degrees (Birch, 2012).
Ever since its invention by Prof. Ernő Rubik, this puzzle often has been produced with these six colors on it. However, this color scheme is not friendly to those who perceive the world in different colors. For example, the combination of green and orange is barely distinguishable to a red-green colorblind person (Deutan & Protan). Even for those without color blindness, orange and yellow are very similar in hue. Perhaps, the random color scheme implemented in the early stage of popularization has continued to this day, only as a mere convention.
Solution
Therefore, we would like to solve this problem so that more people can enjoy this wonderful invention. The proposed design reconstructs the surface of Rubik’s Cube, utilizing today’s color theory. By searching for the best combination of colors in the perceptual color space called HCL and verifying them through vision deficiency simulations, we assembled an optimal palette of six colors.
With this design, everyone can enjoy Rubik’s Cube, regardless of their color vision characteristics.
Reference
Birch J. Worldwide prevalence of red-green color deficiency. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis. 2012 Mar 1;29(3):313-20. doi: 10.1364/JOSAA.29.000313. PMID: 22472762.
