Rube Goldberg's Time Machine Constructed by: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers University of Texas at Austin Illustration of steps: Middle Level Go to Entire Machine Go to Upper Level Go to Lower Level Back to main Rube page The pulled pin releases another falling weight, which opens a door that allows a slew of metal bearings to roll down a plastic chute. The bearings act as a fluid to turn a wheel, which repeatedly hits the lever above for the next step. History: This step represents the industrial revolution, when the usage of powered machines was becoming widespread. Our step shows the utilization of rotary power to accomplish a task. The revolution wheel moves a sprung lever back and forth, which pushes cars out with a wooden pin. These cars fall into a small cup on a lever, which acts as a scale. When the cup side of the scale reaches a critical weight, it flips the switch on the opposite end of the lever. History: The assembly line, first used by Henry Ford in the production of the Model T in the early 1900's, was a major step for the manufacturing industry. It was beginning of a new era, where mass production could turn out large numbers of identical goods in a short period of time. The switch at the end of the lever turns on the power to a model train controller. A Union Pacific railroad engine runs along the track from one side of the base to the other. At the end it drops a weight which activates the Civil War step. History: The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 enabled people to travel from one side of the American continent to the other with ease. North rushes South in the Civil War. The motion of the dropping weight in the base pulls a lever in the base, which causes the Union army to rush the Confederates. The army strikes another lever, which bumps a billiard ball off its pedestal, down a chute, and into an ice cream scoop next to Napolean. History: Many technological breakthroughs were made during the Civil War, as is during all times of intense national competition. One major standout of the war was the invention of the repeating rifle, which was instrumental in ensuring the North's victory over the South. The ice cream scoop releases a pin which fires a cannon. Napolean's cannon fires a wooden projectile, which hits the Sphinx's nose. The nose, which is part of a lever inside of the Sphinx, causes its right arm to shoot out and start the guillotine. History: In 1798, shortly after the French Revolution, Napolean's troops shot off the nose of the Sphinx, scarring one of Egypt's most famous landmarks. The arm of the Sphinx releases a washer, which is the only thing holding the guillotine blade in place. The guillotine drops, chopping a cheeto neck in half. The unhappy billiard ball head rolls down a ramp, hitting a lever that starts the printing press. History: During the French Revolution, the invention of the guillotine allowed swift, reliable, and wonderfully gruesome execution of criminals and enemies of the state. The green lever pulls a pin, which sets the metal roller free. It rolls down the ramp, inking itself on the pad, and prints the letters 'ASME' on the paper below. The roller hits the stop at the end, and knocks another billiard ball into a hole in the base. History: The invention of the printing press in 1457 by Gutenberg provided for quick and reproducible printing jobs. Books, flyers, and other publications could now be mass produced. Gutenberg's most famous production is the Gutenberg Bible, one of which is displayed in the University of Texas' own Harry Ransom Center. Go to Lower Level These pages and all material on this server are copyright 1999 by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin. If files from this page are reused elsewhere, please give credit where credit is due. Email the webmaster: vryce@mail.utexas.edu