Champions of Complexity

By building a machine that took 125 steps to turn on a flashlight, students at Purdue University wrapped up their third consecutive win at the National Rube Goldberg Machine contest - a competition in complexity and inefficiency. 

Each team had to create machines that would replace batteries in a flashlight and turn it on using a minimum of 20 steps that employed principles of engineering and physics. While all of the teams used more than required, the winning machine's 125 steps - which included launching a toy rocket and a rotating auger - were by far the most.

"We are all engineering and technology students, and this machine ties together everything we have learned in our classes," said co-captain Shawn Jordan, a graduate student in computer engineering. "It serves as a giant interdisciplinary design project that everyone on the team brings a different background and perspective to."

The winning machine told an elaborate story while turning on their flashlight. After launching the rocket into space, a meteor hit Earth and started a fire. While the mock fire was put out, the rocket turned on the flashlight to shine back down on Earth.

Previous challenges have had tasks that were just as mundane.  Students have been required to build machines that could raise, secure and wave an American flag; select, clean and peel an apple; make a cup of coffee; toast a piece of bread; put a stamp on an envelope; and drop a penny into a piggy bank.

Bjorn Carey

Credit: Purdue News Service /David Umberger