Who exactly was Rube Goldberg? Why does he have a machine named after him? What does this machine do? These are all great questions that deserve answers. Let’s begin at the beginning: Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist, engineer, sculptor, and inventor, best known for his depictions of highly intricate devices that perform simple tasks in complex and indirect ways. The Rube Goldberg machine is the living reincarnation of those cartoons. Still confused? Well, we’ve gathered up some of the most amazing examples we could find so you can see them in action. Perhaps you’ve even already seen some of them…
The Baynham & Tyers Rube Goldberg
This baby made my jaw drop. Maybe they should have incorporated that into the machine. The task: Open the blinds. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? All one needs to do is reach over and pull the drawstring. But it’s not that quick and easy. What follows is the result of LOTS of hard work and amazing accuracy on the part of the machine’s builders.
Honda’s “The Cog”
Honda has always been on top of their advertising game, so it comes at no surprise that they would build a ridiculous Rube Goldberg out of car parts. The end game? To ease a new Honda Accord Hatchback down off of a platform. It’s not as long or complex as the previous device, but the creativity is wonderful.
OK Go “This Too Shall Pass”
The band OK Go has a hard-on for interesting and well-choreographed music videos. This one for the song “This Too Shall Pass” features a very intense Rube Goldberg machine intertwined with members of the band singing along. Things happen so fast that it’s actually hard to keep up with the chain reaction. For the conclusion, a bunch of cannons fire paint at the band members, and the camera pans up to reveal that the whole event was happening for a live audience.
Mythbusters Holiday Rube Goldberg
Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters have a knack for science, techonology, and elaborate over-engineering. So it makes sense that they’d put together a Rube Goldberg machine, just for some holiday fun. Utilizing balls, toys, robots, and the explosive power of Coca-Cola and Mentos (yes, when you combine the two they explode), the duo sets out to throw their favorite crash-test dummy face-first into the ground. Okay, so the end result isn’t that exciting, but it’s the process that counts.
Pee Wee’s Breakfast Machine
Yep, this one just had to get in there. Of course it’s not as legitimate as the first four, but come on: Who doesn’t want a machine that makes breakfast for you? It’s an idea that has found its way into a variety of movies besides this one: Back to the Future toys with the idea (except with dog food), and even Casper has a breakfast machine, along with many other similar morning-themed devices (the “Up-And-At-‘Em Machine”). It’s such a great fantasy: You can wake up, perform a single action, and in minutes have a delicious, well-balanced breakfast waiting for you. A man can dream…a man can dream.
