Machines were invented to make our lives as human beings much easier. Instead of spending hours washing and drying a laundry basket with hands, a washing machine can perform the same task in less time. This is what makes the Rube Goldberg machine so interesting and ironic. Put simply, a Rube Goldberg machine is any device intentionally designed to perform a simple, routine task in the most complicated way possible. Learn more about this machine, including where it came from and how to build one yourself, here.
What is a Rube Goldberg machine?
A Rube Goldberg machine is any machine out there, deliberately designed to make a simple task unnecessarily complex. The machine is usually made up of several different parts or components that are connected together in such a way that pressing one part causes all the other parts to get into a chain reaction that would end up completing a simple task in a complex process. It is not intended for pragmatic use, but for fun and to demonstrate the creative nature of the human mind.
Origin of the Rube Goldberg machine
The Rube Goldberg Machine was created by the famous American cartoonist Rube Goldberg. His full name was Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg. Goldberg was born on July 4, 1883 in San Francisco, California. From an early age he fell in love with art, drawing and illustration, for which he took drawing lessons as an adult. However, his father wanted him to pursue a more orthodox career.
At his father’s nudge, Goldberg was studying engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. After school he worked as an engineer for some time but found it uninspiring. His true love, which was drawing and illustration, called to him. Eventually he quit his job and became a cartoonist. Ironically, it was his engineering skills that would now have the greatest impact on his cartoons.
His cartoons featured machines designed to do a simple task in an unnecessarily complicated way, hence the name Rube Goldberg machines. Rube Goldberg worked for various newspapers in California and New York. Eventually, his cartoons became so popular that they were published in newspapers nationwide. He was a founding member of the National Cartoonists Society and has drawn an estimated 50,000 cartoons in his lifetime.
Rube Goldberg’s cartoons survived him. It has been featured in several films (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and cartoons for comic relief. Several universities and institutions have annual Rube Goldberg machine contests to reward people who come up with very complicated ways to perform simple tasks. These include Purdue University Indiana, the MIT Museum, and the University of California, Berkeley (Goldberg’s alma mater).
The term “Rube Goldberg” has also made it to several dictionaries as an adjective, representing something unnecessarily complicated. Collins Online Dictionary defines Rube Goldberg as “to do something by unnecessarily complicated means”. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defined it as “to accomplish by complex means what can seem to be done simply”.
There is also a Rube Goldberg machine competition organized by the Rube Goldberg Company (recorded by Goldberg’s grandchildren). The 30th edition took place this year at the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago.
How to build a Rube Goldberg machine?
There is, of course, no hard and fast rule for putting together a Rube Goldberg machine. However, here are some useful tips you can use if you want to assemble one.
First and foremost, decide on the simple task you want to perform. It can water a plant, put toothpaste on a toothbrush, chop carrots, turn off the light, pump a balloon, etc.
Make a sketch of the machine that will perform the task. Consider the items you will be using. There is no need to break the bank. You can use everyday objects such as books, hammers, boards, balls, string, rope, buckets, cups, cans, boxes, tables, chairs, etc.
Gather the parts you need and start building your machine. When you’re done, test the machine and make the necessary improvements. Don’t forget to film the process and share it with others.
Use caution when using potentially hazardous items such as knives, scissors, or electrically powered items. Also be very careful if firing will be a part of the process.
The purpose of a Rube Goldberg machine is entertainment, so make sure people can understand and follow the process. The process shouldn’t be too fast (people won’t understand that) or too slow (people will lose interest now).