Delightful DIY: Massive Goldberg-Style Do-Nothing Machine

Most of us seem intent on making things as easy as possible, but St. Louis sculptor Daniel Heggarty takes some delight in the unnecessarily complicated. Inspired by a lone exercise bike that was just begging to be made into something wonderful, Heggarty added bits and pieces to his complex creation day by day until eventually he ended up with a room-sized contraption that would make Rube Goldberg proud.

Unlike actual Rube Goldberg machines, this one doesn’t have a simple end result achieved by overly complex motions. It runs off of a 220 volt farm motor, and the only goal the machine seems to have is to entertain onlookers. From a foot kicking a bucket to a perpetually opening and closing umbrella to the dry cleaning rack that plays scales on a pair of xylophones, the huge machine is full of humor and silliness.

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See more in Do It Yourself or under Technology. October, 2010.