Rube Goldberg Machine Competition

History of Rube Goldberg ABOUT RUBE Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist best known for his zany invention cartoons. 

More about Rube Goldberg Rube Goldberg is the only person ever to be listed in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as an adjective. It’s estimated that he did a staggering 50,000 cartoons in his lifetime. Rube Goldberg, Inc. is dedicated to keeping laughter and invention alive through the legacy of its namesake. Annual competitions, image licensing, merchandising, and museum and entertainment opportunities continue to grow and enhance the brand.  RGI is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 dedicated to promoting STEM & STEAM education for students of all ages.

Competition Each year, the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest has a different task that your machine you built has to accomplish. Last year it was zip a zipper. This year it was open an umbrella. There are live competitions (none close to us) but also online competitions which is what we competed in. Your machine is supposed to have a theme and we chose the seasons. Our machine was basically divided into four quadrants and started in summer, then went to fall, winter, and ended in spring with the umbrella opening. Here is a walkthrough of our machine: Machine Walkthrough

Other submission requirements Machine worksheet detailing the measurements of the machine’s working area A step list of each step of the machine 3 photos of the machine A close up video of the task completion A close up video of our favorite step 2 machine run through videos Other team information such as description of machine and a suggestion for next year’s contest task

Videos Finish Favorite Step Run Through

Judge Feedback Your machine was one of the most complex I have ever seen in this age range. The theme, story line, and artistry are very strong and consistent. The creativity, complexity, and shear absurdity are off the charts for this level of competition. The fine tuning required to get a machine of this magnitude working perfectly is extreme. Although the reliability had issues, every other aspect of the essence of the Rube Goldberg competition seems to be strong within your team. Most of all, the concepts of perseverance and teamwork. The verbal condolences and support of a struggling team member tell everything in regards to what your team has learned through this experience. Continue to build machines of this complexity while remembering to increase the time for testing once the machine is ready to run and your success will only grow.

Highest Scoring Areas Laugh Barometer How funny and whimsical is the machine? (0 to 5 points) Judge 1: 9 Judge 3: 6 Theme or Story How well is a recognizable theme or story integrated into the machine? Judge 1: 10 Judge 3: 9

Conclusions and Questions