World Record: The Largest Rube Goldberg Machine

By Anthea Quay, 10 Apr 2012

On Saturday, Purdue University’s Society of Professional Engineers team has broken its own world record for the largest Rube Goldberg machine.

The behemoth contraption flawlessly completed a simple task of blowing up and popping a balloon in 300 steps—which sets a new world record for the largest functional Rube Goldberg machine, according to World Records Academy.

The winning machine had an “end-of-the-world” themed music incorporated throughout its run—ranging from Jaws to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Indiana Jones, World Records Academy wrote.

The team spent more than 5,000 hours to construct the machine.

Every task assigned in the competition’s 25-year history—such as peeling an apple, juicing an orange, toasting bread, making a hamburger, changing a light bulb, loading a CD, and sharpening a pencil—was accomplished by the Purdue machine.

To complete so many tasks, the machine had a platform that consisted of two rotating paddlewheels to reveal and change new sets of modules, to chronologically accomplish the tasks.

300 steps just to pop a balloon, a bit much don’t you reckon?