Week 1

Research was done using YouTube to find inspiration for our group's section of the Rube Goldberg machine. Listed below are a few of the videos that were used as our research:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_748852&feature=iv&src_vid=6FzUx2EFk8s&v=cv5WLLYo-fk
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8vzbezVru4
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0LCFML6Y0A

We have communicated with the two groups that will be adjacent to us in the overall machine. For group 5, we will be triggering a power strip on their machine with some sort of lever or ball that toggles the switch (this is subject to change). Group 3 will be triggering our machine with an object that will roll towards our machine and activate the first event of our section of the machine. More specific and detailed descriptions will be posted next week and in the design proposal in week 3.

Much more thought was put into the two transition events of our machine. Group 3 (who triggers our machine), will have something similar to a baseball or tennis ball roll towards a touch sensor of a basic robot. This triggers the robot to move forward, triggering the second event, until it senses something in its way (using the ultrasonic sensor) where it will pause until the final event. In turn, the robot will be involved for the first and final event of our machine. The final event will move the object the obstructed object out of the way (probably a balloon being popped), causing the robot to perform the action triggers the next group's machine.

The following is a list of possible materials our machine will be made of (this is subject to change):

• cardboard/paper
• chopsticks, popsicle sticks, etc
• tape and glue
• rubber bands
• ball bearings/marbles/ping pong balls/ golf balls
• NXT kit, legos, knex
• wood
• pvc piping
• cups, bottles
• strings
• paper clips
• dominos
• (more to be added later)