I am not quite sure about you, but I personally do not think that kids these day have a penchant for jigsaw puzzles. After all, they are not only time consuming, but they can also be frustratingly difficult with no “NES cheat code” to key in. The only way to solve a jigsaw puzzle is to use old fashioned patience and of course, some smarts upstairs. I clearly remember that one of the more frustrating jigsaw puzzles that I have ever played with was this borderless one – that drove me nuts! If only today’s technology was available back then, where someone has come up with a new algorithm which is said to be able to solve difficult 10,000 piece puzzles in less than 24 hours. I am not quite sure whether this is faster than what a human is capable of, but for a machine, this is pretty impressive.
How does the algorithm work? First, it will check out the colors located along the edges of each piece, where it will then get to work by looking out for other pieces that have matching edge colors. It is smart enough to be able to handle pieces in any orientation, and since it will perform a pairing with high matches, it is capable of working on a slew of different pieces of the puzzle simultaneously in order to shave more seconds off the clock. Watch the video above and be afraid – be very, very afraid. That paper shredder does not seem to be able to work its magic anymore.
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