1. Energy Transfer Machine on Video Competition
SECME Teacher Workshop University of Central Florida
September 22, 2018

2. Engineer, Inventor, Cartoonist
Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg was an engineer, inventor and cartoonist….however he is most well-known now for the comical ‘machines’ that are named after him.
As a child, Rube loved to draw. But his father wanted him to get a good job, so he urged him to get a degree in engineering. Rube did, and graduated from the Univ of California (Berkeley), and went to work with the city of San Francisco in their water department. However, engineering as a career didn’t suit him, and he quit after six months to take a job as a cartoonist, landing within a year in NYC at the New York Evening Mail where he ended up making $50,000 a year by 1915!
(1883 – 1970)
Engineer, Inventor, Cartoonist

3. Rube Goldberg received the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for a cartoon about the war. Although a lot of his cartoons were specific to the events of his time, his cartoon ‘machines’ still speak to us today. (We continually make things more difficult than they need to be!)
Rube Goldberg designs are meant to show the unnecessary complexities in machines

4. Webster’s definition of ‘Rube Goldberg’
Rube Goldberg is the only person listed in the Webster dictionary as an adjective.
His name is also trademarked, that is why our competition is named the Energy Transfer Machine!
A comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation

5. How does your class turn off a light?
Insanity Kontraption

6. How to get started Select -- An end goal Theme Size Materials
Gather ideas (Check out this and this)
Make a rough plan!
Major components
Secondary components
Connectors
Video 1 – complex, great tricks, but it wasn’t recorded in one run—each ‘scene’ is separate!
Video 2 – all one run except fortune cookie message spliced in so specific message could be chosen.
CUT 2nd VIDEO OFF WHEN FORTUNE COOKIE CRUSHES

7. Use large or unusual objects
Major Components
Build major and secondary components separately and then ‘string’ them together with connectors
Use large or unusual objects

8. Major Components
Make it showy!

9. Secondary Components
Used between major components to make the machine ‘run’ longer…and to show off your skill!

10. Connectors Used between major and secondary components
with things like dominoes, toy cars or marbles

11. Pick something ‘simple’ to do in a wacky,
End Event
This is the official end of the timing…..try to get it as close to 1 minute as possible (10 points in scoring!)
Pick something ‘simple’ to do in a wacky,
innovative way

12. Building and Testing
Test each major and secondary component separately
Modify until they work at least 90% of the time
Link them together with connectors
Test and modify! Watch this behind the scenes video
Use ‘safety gaps’ during set up
Don’t get discouraged!
Clean up your design
Add thematic and artistic elements
Add humor!
Test each step individually before connecting them together
This is the hardest part – don’t get discouraged

13. Lights, Camera, Action! Start planning early how to shoot the video
Team introduction and machine explanation may be edited
Machine run must be shot in one continuous recording
Plan where camera operator will stand & move to get a clear shot of the action
Note--none of the previous videos were done in ‘one shot’ – it is not as easy as it seems!

14. Energy Transfer Machine (on Video) Rules
The machine shall:
Have a minimum of 5 steps (hopefully many more!)
Perform a team specified event at the 1 minute mark (or as close as you can get!)
Use the electricity from (1) AA battery in a useful way
Be videotaped to show its performance from start to finish
Be prepared to explain your machine and its energy transfers to the judges

15. Energy Transfer Machine (on Video) Rules
The machine cannot:
use any actual timing devices
be designed, assembled or fabricated by anyone other than student team members
have any other electrical production devices except one AA battery
use animals, profanity, hazardous materials, flames, explosives, etc.

16. Energy Transfer Machine (on Video) Rules
The team:
must all contribute to building the machine
may not use non-team members in video or audio
must have at least 2 members interview with the judges the day of the event
Note: Assisting the machine during the run will result in a deduction of points. However, it is better to ‘nudge’ the machine than submit an incomplete run.

17. Psst…….here’s the secrets!
Winning Tips
Psst…….here’s the secrets!

18. Too much of a ‘good’ thing
Make it interesting
Too much of a ‘good’ thing

19. Use a ‘slower’ transfer to ‘stretch out’ the action
Make it go for 1 minute
Use a ‘slower’ transfer to ‘stretch out’ the action

20. Use a theme
Coke vs. Pepsi

21. Here’s one from last year!
2018 SECME Entry Carillon Elementary