LETU ENGINEERING STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE RUBE GOLDBERG INVENTIONS

 

What:

 

Rube Goldberg Demonstration at LeTourneau University

 

 

When:

 

3 p.m. Thursday, March 24, 2016

 

Where:           

 

Belcher Center Gymnasium in Solheim Recreation Center

LeTourneau University

2100 S. Mobberly Ave.

Longview, Texas 75607

 

 

Who:

 

Seven teams of engineering students in Oscar Ortiz' advanced analog electronics class will demonstrate their creativity and design prowess with new inventions using numerous energy transitions to accomplish a simple task.  Many of the students will have spent the entire night before the event setting up their complex Rube Goldbergs.

 

 

The LETU Rube Goldberg invention demonstrations are always a fun, visual example of engineering creativity at its best.  Each invention must have at least 20 energy transfers, or steps, to accomplish the designed outcome from the invention.  Below are some descriptions of each demonstration, with the names of the students on each team.

 

This year's Rube Goldberg inventions are as follows:

 

1.      Very Messi-Have you ever dreamed of being an international fútbol star? Do you hate running, sweating, and generally trying? With the simple press of a button, anyone can score a world class goal. Using a tube TV, a stun gun, a few eggs, a laser, an air cannon, a large electromagnet, several fans, and a mouse, you can accomplish your wildest dreams, with the push of a button.  -Collin Phillips, Tyler Alford

 

2.      Too Lazy for an Extension Cord-Designed for people who love their couch so much they don't want to get up, this invention uses mechanical and electronic transition components to bring your ringing phone to the couch while the phone is charging further away from you. -Ashan Gunathilaka, Peng Xue

 

3.      Boom Ducks-It's Game Day! Time to open up the concession stand and let everyone know snacks are ready. Too much work?  We automated the process with a Rube Goldberg invention to take care of everything! With a sequence of over 40 energy transfer steps, this Rube Goldberg will turn the lights on, pop the popcorn, deploy snack signs, light the "OPEN" sign, deliver prizes to lucky winners and announce the opening of the stand with a grand finale of streamers, confetti and really loud noises!  -David Clevenger, Russell Thurman

 

4.      A Lift is Just One Call Away-Take a ride on an umbrella! What a marvelous idea! Just make one phone call and everything will be put into action. An exciting chain of events starts out with a simple vibrating phone rolling a ball down a ramp and turns into a series of electro-mechanical events that trigger paratroopers falling from the sky. Eventually an umbrella will fall and rise again on the winds of fortune, lifting you into the sky. -Samuel Beans, Derek Syme

 

5.      A Dark "Night" in Gotham City-Our Batman-themed Rube Goldberg includes many infamous villains: the Joker, the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, the Penguin, and Two-Face. Through a sequence of events, the Joker is released from his cage and it is up to Batman to beat all the other villains through an imaginative storyline. At the end of the Rube Goldberg, the Batman suit will be revealed to you and you will be the next Dark Knight. -Murteza Bujkaj, Austin Gray

 

6.      Elephant Toothpaste-You're out of toothpaste for your pet elephant and don't have time to run to the store to get any. How are you going to brush his teeth? Just push the big red button to make some more toothpaste! -Kara Goldberg, Brandon Zuck.

 

7.      Tour through Technology-When the world melts down in nuclear disaster in 2021, all technology could be lost, and mankind would be left in the dark. We have created a machine that preserves key technological advancements so mankind can quickly revive the modern wonders of technology. Our machine quickly advances through many discoveries from fire to airplanes to help mankind land back on his feet.  -Joshua Mueller, Aiden Wolter