Traveling to Japan to break a world record on television is no simple task, but the members of Ferris’ Rube Goldberg team have been asked to do just that.
The Rube Goldberg team at Ferris, winners of the national competition in 2007, was recently invited to present a new machine on a Japanese game show in an attempt to re-set their own world record.
The team, who left Jan. 3 for Tokyo and returning Jan. 16, will be presenting the machine that has not been used in competition before with additional steps to complete the task.
A Rube Goldberg machine is meant to perform a simple task in as many steps as possible. In 2007, the Ferris team accomplished a record 345 steps to squeeze an orange into a pitcher.
“I am not quite sure how many steps we will achieve. It depends on how many we can build in such a short time frame,” said team member and electrical engineering technology major Michael Dunakin of the new machine being constructed. Dunakin was also a member of the team in 2007.
Those going on the trip include Kyle Hebner, an electrical engineering technology major, Bryan Williams, a mechanical engineering technology major, Dunakin and Professor Tom Hollen.
Dunakin also said that he is excited for the trip, and feels that this is a different type of excitement and experience than winning the national title.