Energy Transfer Machine Make it as complex as possible! Energy Transfer Machines are also known as Rube Goldberg Machines, however, “Rube Goldberg” is copywrited and trademarked

Engineer, Inventor, Cartoonist Rube Goldberg Rube Goldberg was a renowned cartoonist, even receiving a Pulitzer Prize for one of his cartoons. As a child he loved to draw, but his father wanted him to have a ‘real’ job, so he earned an engineering degree from the Univ. of California, Berkeley. Rube took a job with the San Francisco city Engineer’s Office designing sewers and water systems, but he only lasted 6 months before he quit to draw sports cartoons. Three years later he moved to NYC to work as a cartoonist for the city publications which quickly lead to nationwide fame. (1883 – 1970) Engineer, Inventor, Cartoonist

Although many of Rube Goldberg’s cartoons were rooted in their time period and don’t easily translate to our times, his crazy contraptions still appeal to people today and seem to relate to our feelings of the modern world. In later interviews Rube Goldberg said that these cartoons were inspired by his experiences in college engineering classes, and his idea that technology which is intended to simplify people’s lives can actually make them more complicated. Rube Goldberg designs are meant to show the unnecessary complexities in machines

Webster’s definition of ‘Rube Goldberg’ In 1966, “Rube Goldberg” was added to the Webster’s Dictionary (as an adjective) meaning “having fantastically complicated improvised appearance”, or being “deviously complex and impractical”. A comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation

How does your class turn off a light? Insanity Kontraption

ETM Rules Teams consist of 2 – 6 students The machine shall: have a minimum of 5 steps use a battery in one step perform an end goal as close to the 1 minute mark as possible be videotaped for submission Repetitions of the same thing (i.e. a string of dominoes falling) is considered one ‘step’ The electricity from the battery should be used in a meaningful way—for example, using the battery as a pendulum or as a counter-weight, is not considered a good way to use the battery! Teams choose their own end goal—ringing a bell, flipping over a playing card, watering a plant, etc., and then design their machine to complete this end goal as close (+ or -) to 1 minute as possible. Points are awarded for the accuracy of their timing.

ETM Video Rules The team must: explain the steps in the machine explain how the electricity is used state their end goal The machine run portion of the video must be shot in one take without edits Videos are submitted by email The video portion must include an explanation of the machine at the beginning of the video. This portion can be recorded separately, and may be edited as needed. The machine run portion (started with the team saying “on your mark, get set, go” ), must be filmed all in one shot and may not be stopped or edited.

ETM Competition Day Machine/videos are judged on: number of energy transfers complexity creativity effective use of the battery power machine explanation

How to get started Select -- an end goal size theme materials Gather ideas (Check out this and this) Make a rough plan! major components connectors Major components are the big showy parts of the machine. Connectors are things such as domino runs, cars or balls rolling from one section to another, or items dropping onto other parts of the machine. These are used to transfer the energy between the larger, more technical parts of the machine.

Building and Testing Test each major and secondary component separately Modify until they work at least 90% of the time Link them together with connectors Test and modify (use safety gaps!) Don’t get discouraged! Good advice from other builders – here Fasten parts (domino run ‘hinges’) Clean up your design Add thematic and artistic elements Add humor! Safety gaps – pieces added (or removed) to stop the flow of energy at that point. These are used to keep the machine from ‘tripping’ accidentally during the building and testing phases. Just be sure to remove them all before starting the filmed ‘run’. Domino hinges are pieces of tape that affix the domino on the side it will fall on, so that they can be set back up quickly. The use of a theme, the addition of artistic elements and humor all add points in the judging of the machine.

Lights, Camera, Action! Start planning early how to shoot the video Plan where camera operator will stand & move to get a clear shot of the action Team introduction and machine explanation may be edited Machine run must be shot in one continuous recording. Note—many videos available on the internet are not done in ‘one shot’ – it is not as easy as it seems!

ETM Hints & Tips Use a theme or humor—Rube Goldberg machines are supposed to be humorous! Use unusual objects Don’t use too many domino runs or pre-made marble run parts YouTube videos are full of creative ideas For a good video turn on all the available lights, and turn your phone on its side tell your students to speak loudly and clearly record the video at the highest quality settings available

2018 SECME Entry Carillon Elementary Here’s a past winner! 2018 SECME Entry Carillon Elementary