Most of us see cereal boxes, shoe boxes, and plastic water bottles as trash, but on Saturday, September 1, such items were put to good use at the Rube Goldberg Machine Workshop at Beijing City International School (BCIS). Participants built cardboard box ramps, water bottle marble chutes, pendulums, and pulleys in a bid to create the best Rube Goldberg machine.
A Rube Goldberg machine is an apparatus or machine that is purposely over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated way. Saturday’s event was organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Alumni Club of Beijing, and the day’s aim was for teams of students to build a functioning Rube Goldberg machine with materials brought from home. Participants, who were BCIS students and family members, were divided into teams and given about two hours to complete their Rube Goldberg machines. Almost as invested in the building of machines as the students were the parents and volunteering adults. As teams tested their machines, cheers of victory or collective sighs of disappointment frequently rang through the gymnasium.
The prize for best machine went to a group that made a tall, spiraling machine that could pop a balloon. Sponsoring company Rovio, maker of the addictive game Angry Birds, provided materials like tape, dominoes, and marbles, and was on hand to give out prizes and goodies which included Angry Birds plush toys.
Photos by Ellis Friedman
