By Andrew Liszewski
Even if you couldn’t care less about LEGO and have never heard of Rube Goldberg, I guarantee you’ll find the above video interesting, if not mesmerizing. And at the least, it’s a mindless way to get yourself 13 minutes closer to the weekend. From what I can tell, GBCs or ‘Great Ball Contraptions’ are standalone modules made of LEGO that are designed to get small balls from one area to another in a unique and original manner.
But things get even more interesting when you chain these modules up into a larger layout, and they pass the balls between each other. This particular layout at LEGO World 2011 in Copenhagen actually set a new world record with 93 modules chained together, and I must say I’m pleasantly surprised at the originality of some of these creations and the methods they use to transport the balls.
[ YouTube – World’s Largest LEGO Great Ball Contraption at LW 2011 ] VIA [ Make ]
This is very cool, but it's not actually a Rube Goldberg machine if you have to keep adding more balls at every new section. That's a lot like setting up a row of dominoes and then knocking them over one by one.