Transcript Rube Goldberg Machine Contest 2003

February 20, 2005
Who is Rube Goldberg?
Reuben Lucius Goldberg
Born July 4, 1883
Was an engineer for 6
months designing sewers
Left engineering to
become a cartoonist
Pulitzer Prize winning
cartoonist, sculptor, and
author
Created satirical cartoons
of machines and gadgets
that he saw as excessive
What is a Rube Goldberg
Machine?
“A symbol of man’s capacity for
exerting maximum effort to achieve
minimal results.”
~Reuben Lucius Goldberg
“Simplified” Pencil Sharpener
Open window (A) and fly kite (B). String (C) lifts small door (D) allowing moths (E) to
escape and eat red flannel shirt (F). As weight of shirt becomes less, shoe (G) steps
on switch (H) which heats electric iron (I) and burns hole in pants (J). Smoke (K)
enters hole in tree (L), smoking out opossum (M) which jumps into basket (N), pulling
rope (O) and lifting cage (P), allowing woodpecker (Q) to chew wood from pencil (R),
exposing lead. Emergency knife (S) is always handy in case opossum or the
woodpecker gets sick and can't work.
History of Rube Goldberg
Machine Contest
Began as a rivalry at Purdue University between
Theta Tau and Triangle in the 1940’s and 50’s
Contest was revived in 1983 by Phi Chapter of
Theta Tau
National Contest has been held annually at
Purdue University since 1987
Machines have been featured on National
television shows, such as Good Morning
America, and the Late Show
Machine Specifications
Must complete assigned task
Base may be no larger than 5 by 6 ft
May be no taller than 5 ft
Minimum of 20 steps
Machine must take no more than 2 minutes per
run
No corporate names or logos on machines
No live animals
Must not imply profane, indecent or lewd
expressions
Specifications (cont.)
No objects may leave the boundaries of
the machine.
No flames
No hazardous materials
No explosions
Must be safe according to the judges
No sabotage of other machines
Team Restrictions
No limit on the
number of members a
team may have
Each member must
be enrolled as an
undergraduate or
graduate student at
UT
Judging Criteria
General Impression
(35pts)
– Theme (0 – 10pts)
– Rube Goldberg Spirit (0
– 10pts)
– Explanation/Description
(0 – 5pts)
– Team Chemistry (0 – 5
pts)
– Submitted Machine
Description (0 – 5pts)
Judging Criteria
Timing Issued (0pts)
– Description Length
(-5 – 0 pts)
– First Run Length
(-10 – 0 pts)
– Second Run Length
(-10 – 0 pts)
Don’t take more
than 2 minutes for a
run or you will be
penalized by the
judges!
Judging Criteria
Run Related (65pts)
– Completed task – Run One (0, 10, or 20pts)
– Completed task – Run Two (0, 10, or 20pts)
– Flow of machine easy to follow (0 -10pts)
– Rube Goldberg style steps (0 -15pts)
– Human Interventions (-3pts each)
– Objects leaving machine (-5pts each)
Tips and Hints
Machine should have some sort of theme,
consistent throughout
– Examples – Disney, Mission Impossible, etc…
Mechanically powered steps are more in the
spirit of Rube Goldberg. Judges at the national
contest tend to look more highly at mechanical
steps than electrical
Make sure all steps are visible and easy to
follow!
BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN!
Tasks From the Past
1998 – Shut off an alarm clock
1999 – Set a golf tee and tee up a golf ball
2000 – Fill and seal a time capsule
2001 – Select, clean, and peal an apple
2002 – Capture, raise, and wave an American Flag
2003 – Select, Crush, and Recycle an aluminum can
2003 Purdue 1st
2003 Toledo 2nd
2003 Texas 3rd
2005 RGMC Task
Remove both old batteries from a
two battery flashlight
Install new batteries
Turn the flashlight on
Questions?
Why should you do Rube?
Social Activity
A way to actively participate in your organization
Encourages Creativity
Power Tools!
Another activity for you organization to list for
Outstanding Student Organization Award
A chance to prove your organization is the best
IT’S FUN
Why Rube will be
better this year
Biggest contest yet!
Sunday before E-week
People’s Choice Award
Better communication between judges and
teams to make sure you know what the
judges are looking for
How does your organization
start a team?
Simply tell Beth or Trish that you are
planning to have a team
Visit www.rubemachine.com for official
rules and information
Build your machine and be ready for
Sunday, Feb 20
HAVE FUN!