Cartoonist Rube Goldberg was known for doodling his characters surrounded by intricate and complicated gadgets. Their function would be simple, like turning on a light switch, but the way the machines performed those tasks was always far more complex. Ever since, real inventors have been mimicking those methods with their own bizarre contraptions. There's even an annual contest in Goldberg's name where engineers compete with newer and stranger devices.
They usually involve a series of gears and pulleys setting off a chain reaction. Every time I come across one, I can't help but be amazed! It reminds me of my childhood board game Mouse Trap, only much more elaborate. While some may seem like they take way more effort than the job really needs, it's still so fascinating to watch.
For instance, ordinary wine openers are pretty difficult to get the hang of on their own, much less one that would take up this much space in your home. Where most of us would just splurge on one of those fancy electric versions, inventor Rob Higgs decided to create this intense brass apparatus instead! In the demonstration below, the man spins a handle at the front and shows how the machine slowly lowers down to the cork and removes it from the bottle with ease.
While that's an impressive feat all on its own, wait til you see what happens when he continues to turn the handle a few more times. I had to rewind and watch it again! Just imagine having this pop open bottles at your next get-together.
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