Oskar van Deventer

Oskar van Deventer (born 1965) is a Dutch puzzle maker.[1] He prototypes puzzles using 3D printing. His work combines mathematics, physics, and design, and he collaborates at academic institutions.[2][3][4] Many of his combination puzzles are in mass production by Uwe Mèffert and WitEden. Oskar van Deventer has also designed puzzles for Hanayama.

Oskar van Deventer
Born	Mattijs Oskar van Deventer 1965 (age 55–56) Wageningen, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Occupation	Puzzle maker, Senior Scientist at TNO
Known for	Puzzle designer, inventor
Title	Ph.D. in optics

Gear cube

He was a Guinness World Record holder for his 17×17×17 "Over the Top Cube" Rubik's cube-style puzzle from 2012 to 2016,[5][6] when it was beaten by a 22×22×22 cube.[7]

In addition to being a puzzle maker, Oskar is a research scientist in the area of media networking and holds a Ph.D. in optics. He has over 100 publications, over 80 patents applications, and hundreds of standardization contributions.[8]

Mass produced puzzles

• Gear cube: Previously named "Caution Cube" because there was a big chance to pinch your fingers with the gears.[9] It was mass-produced by Mèffert's in 2010,[10] but over time it appeared as several copies and shape mods of the same design.
• Gear Cube Extreme: A bandaged version of the Gear cube, where 4 gears are replaced with 4 standard edges, making the puzzle harder. It was mass-produced by Mèffert's in 2010,[11] and was also copied by other companies.
• Gear Shift: It was mass-produced by Mèffert's in 2011;[12] a knock off version also appeared.
• David Gear Cube: Previously called "Polo cube" in reference to Alex Polonsky, who had the idea.[13] It was mass-produced By Mèffert's in 2013.[14]
• Geared Mixup: A variant of the gear cube where all faces can perform 90° rotations, allowing centers to be interchanged with edges, hence the term "mixup". It was mass-produced by Mèffert's in 2014.[15]
• Geared 5×5×5: An unknown Chinese company mass-produced this puzzle in 2015 using a 3D printed sample, without the permission of Oskar. An agreement was met to please both sides.[16]
• Gear Ball: A mass-produced spherical Gear cube made by Mèffert's.[17]
• Mosaic cube: Previously called "Fadi cube", it is a corner turning puzzle with two cut depths similar to Okamoto and Greg's "Lattice Cube". It was mass-produced by Mèffert's in 2010.[18]
• Planets puzzle: Four balls in a frame. Craters on the balls block and unblock movement on the adjacent balls.
• Rob's Pyraminx: It was mass-produced by Mèffert's in 2014.[19]
• Rob's Octahedron: It was mass-produced by Mèffert's in 2015.[20]
• Mixup Cube: a 3×3×3 Rubik's cube that can perform 45° rotations on the middle layers, allowing centers interchange with edges. It was mass-produced by WitEden.[21]
• Treasure chest: A 3×3×3 puzzle that when solved, can be opened, revealing a small chamber inside. It was mass-produced by Mèffert's.[22]
• Icosaix: A face turning icosahedron with jumbling movements. It was mass-produced by MF8 in 2015.[23]
• Crazy Comet: Was mass-produced by LanLan without Oskar's permission in 2016 but a deal was archived later.[24]
• Redi Cube: A corner turning puzzle mass produced by Moyu in 2017.[25]

References

1. Olivarez-Giles, Nathan (29 May 2010). "Rubik's Cube built on a 3-D printer unlocks love for one couple [Updated]". LA Times Blogs - Technology. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
2. "Putting the Pieces Together". www.dartmouth.edu. March 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
3. Doh, Jane (24 February 2011). "Oskar van Deventer's Twisty Puzzle Will Take You Over the Top". Wired. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
4. Murphy, David. "Puzzle-maker Unveils World's Largest Rubik's Cube". PCMAG. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
5. Karlin, Susan (16 April 2012). "Thinking Outside The Cube". theinstitute.ieee.org. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
6. Dillow, Clay (28 January 2011). "3-D Printer Sets Record For Building World's Biggest, Most Complicated Rubik's Cube". Popular Science. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
7. "22x22 rubik's cube World Record". YouTube. corenpuzzle. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
8. "Oskar van Deventer". oskarvandeventer.nl. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
9. "Caution Cube - now mass-produced as Mefferts Gear Cube". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
10. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Caution Cube". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
11. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Gear Cube Extreme/Anisotropic Cube". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
12. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Gear Shift". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
13. "Re: David Gear Cube on HKNowStore". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
14. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Polo Gear Cube". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
15. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Geared Mixup". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
16. "How a Shapeways 3D print got knocked off in China". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
17. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Gear Ball". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
18. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Fadi Cube". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
19. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Rob's Pyraminx". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
20. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Rob's Octahedron". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
21. "TwistyPuzzle's.com > Museum > Mixup 3x3x3". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
22. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Gift Cube / Treasure Chest". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
23. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Icosaix". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
24. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Crazy Comet". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
25. "TwistyPuzzles.com > Museum > Redi Cube". Retrieved 9 October 2018.

External links

• Oskar van Deventer's list of his own puzzles
• YouTube channel

See also

• Bram Cohen