How to Rube Goldberg Machine

1

Look at several Rube Goldberg machines for inspiration. You can see Goldberg’s original drawings at the Rube Golberg website. Though Goldberg never intended his machines to work, many people have since built fully functional Rube Goldberg machines that you can watch on YouTube. Ads by Google

2

Choose a task. The purpose of a Rube Goldberg machine is to seriously over-engineer a process in order to perform a simple task. Maybe you want to make tea, wake someone up, or empty the cat box; the simpler the task, the better the “punch line.” Whatever you want, just make sure the task can be performed by simple, unintelligent devices.

3

Incorporate functional elements into the design. Every Rube Goldberg machine uses levers, pulleys, rolling balls, ramps, tubes, and the domino effect to keep things moving. To get your project going, create a general skeleton of these elements so that you get sense of the size, complexity, and overall movement of the machine.

4

Incorporate creative elements into the design. Now that you’ve strung together enough functional elements to form a backbone for your machine, add a few creative links to make your design fun and unique. For example, you might:

• Drip water onto a sponge to weight down one side of a lever
• Activate a fan or hair dryer to blow something into place
• Set fire to a “fuse” in order to burn a barrier away
• Release a buoyant object under water to allow it to rise up through a series of obstacles
• Swing a mallet into a resting object to launch it into the next location
• Pop a balloon to make space for an object to pass
• Knock a catch loose in order to release a slingshot
• Pull a bag open, allowing sand to pour out and change the balance of a lever
• Pour water onto a water wheel
• Release the ball on one side of a Newton’s cradle in order to bump something on the other side

5

Assemble the machine. Note that Rube Goldberg machines have a tendency to get very large; if you’re limited on space, make sure your design maximizes vertical space / coils in on itself to keep it under control. NOTE!

• If the machine needs to be portable, build it on a platform or inside a three- walled cardboard or wooden structure, making sure that the individual elements are still visible. (Be sure to include wheels.)

6

Test repeatedly. Don't feel too bad if it doesn't work at first. Each test will fail at a different step, so modify or even replace steps when they fail to make the machine run smoothly. NOTE!

• f any of the individual links are difficult to replace (ex. burning a fuse), skip that step and begin the next one manually. You will have to take it on faith that that step will perform correctly during the final performance.

7

Decorate your machine if desired. Use paint, furniture polish, trim, or anything else that might enhance your design. You might name your machine and slap a brand on it as though it were a product for sale. Be creative, but make sure your decoration doesn't get in the way of the components.

How to Rube Goldberg Machine video

How to Rube Goldberg Machine with kids video