Kirk's Rube Goldberg Science Project

Goal:
Fill a shot glass full of water.

Ridiculous (but effective!) Method:
Run program on the Lego NXT.
Release arm with golf ball.
Arm swings down to hit wedge.
Impact dislodges wedge allowing scissors to close.
Scissors cut rubber band releasing tension on hinged support for marble.
Marble drops into cup attached to a string and pulley.
Air balloon is raised.
Air balloon contacts razor blade.
Noise from balloon pop detected by Lego NXT sound sensor.
Lego NXT says "Goodbye" then rotates the weighted arm.
Razor blades on arm pop water balloon over shot glass.

Result:
A full shot of gross water -- ready for consumption!

Failures / Fixes:
Problem -- Scissors don't close on impact. Stick holding them open didn't release. Solution -- Change to a wedge shape that golf ball has more contact area with. Golf ball then forces it out of the way consistently.

Problem -- String on hinged marble support too slow to set up. Painful!
Solution -- Switch to rubber band. Much faster to set up.

Problem -- Air balloon not popping.
Solution -- Changed from nails to razor blades. Angle blades far apart so balloon cannot escape to the side. Balloon is doomed.

Problem - Water balloon didn't pop consistently.
Solution -- Add more weight to arm. Experiment with the position of the arm relative to the balloon. Double up the razor blades impacting the balloon. Buy cheap balloons! Fill them to near breaking point.

Problem -- Something wasn't set up correctly.
Solution -- Make a checklist of each key set up step!

Problem -- Miscellaneous.
Solution -- Duct tape!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Rube
• Goldberg
• Science
• Project