# Is there a particular name for these types of machines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543 "2016-01-19T02:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/1 "2016-01-19T02:07:15Z")
The YouTube video is titled “[Awesome Yet Useless Machines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WTP36fxCYs)”. They’re at least fun if not actually awesome, and I really like that you can swap out components. But I could swear there is some more specific term, lurking near the tip of my tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/2 "2016-01-19T02:10:34Z")
Yay. I get to be first. They are [Rube Goldberg Machines](https://www.rubegoldberg.com). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/3 "2016-01-19T02:11:09Z")
[Rube Goldberg machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine) might be what you’re after. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/4 "2016-01-19T02:22:16Z")
> [@](#): > > [A rolling ball sculpture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_ball_sculpture), sometimes referred to as a marble run, a ball run, a gravitram, a kugelbahn, or a rolling ball machine is a form of kinetic art – an art form of that contains moving pieces – that specifically involves one or more rolling balls. _RGM_s are unnecessarily elaborate ways to accomplish simple tasks . . . IMHO. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/5 "2016-01-19T02:23:28Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > Yay. I get to be first. They are [Rube Goldberg Machines](https://www.rubegoldberg.com). That’s a term I know, and not what I was thinking of. It fits – a ridiculously complex machine to accomplish a trivial task, but I thought there was something more specific for this _type_ of Rube Goldberg machine. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/6 "2016-01-19T02:28:04Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > _RGM_s are unnecessarily elaborate ways to accomplish simple tasks . . . IMHO. > > CMC fnord! Thanks, your link gave me the term I was trying to think of. Now I have to try remembering where the hell I heard it --kugelbahn. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/7 "2016-01-19T03:10:27Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > _RGM_s are unnecessarily elaborate ways to accomplish simple tasks . . . IMHO. > > CMC fnord! Yay. You get to be right. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/8 "2016-01-19T03:48:06Z")
Am I the only one who wants to see one lifter component that’s just a direct elevator to the top, and one faller component that’s just a straight ramp to the bottom? It feels like they ought to exist, even if they’re almost never used. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/9 "2016-01-19T03:53:07Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Thanks, your link gave me the term I was trying to think of. Now I have to try remembering where the hell I heard it --kugelbahn. Other terms include [rolling ball sculpture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_ball_sculpture), marble run or ball run. I’ve seen a few really complex examples, and this sort of thing always fascinated me. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/10 "2016-01-19T04:32:50Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The YouTube video is titled “[Awesome Yet Useless Machines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WTP36fxCYs)”. They’re at least fun if not actually awesome, and I really like that you can swap out components. But I could swear there is some more specific term, lurking near the tip of my tongue. A kluge? ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/11 "2016-01-19T05:46:36Z")
Kinetic Kascade Kontraption! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/12 "2016-01-19T06:45:50Z")
If they don’t have a name already, I’d suggest [Sisyphus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus) machines. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/13 "2016-01-19T06:53:43Z")
Depending on where you come from, you might alternatively call them [Heath Robinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Heath_Robinson) machines. Two quite similar-minded artists, apparently. I don’t know if they ever met. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/14 "2016-01-19T07:18:03Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Depending on where you come from, you might alternatively call them [Heath Robinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Heath_Robinson) machines. Two quite similar-minded artists, apparently. I don’t know if they ever met. They did at least meet right here! [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=110498](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=110498) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/15 "2016-01-19T22:59:50Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > That’s a term I know, and not what I was thinking of. It fits – a ridiculously complex machine to accomplish a trivial task, but I thought there was something more specific for this _type_ of Rube Goldberg machine. [Useless machine - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useless_machine) ? ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/16 "2016-01-20T01:33:47Z")
I don’t know. The first rolling ball ramp collections looked like various children’s toys I remember. But once you get to to the ball dropping onto a catapult launching a new ball into a bin that sets a a new sequence of balls doing different things… Yeah, you got a Rube Goldberg Machine. You just do. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/17 "2016-01-21T02:01:52Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > A kluge? I think “kluge” means a machine or device that is useful and works, at least more or less, but is awkwardly conceived and constructed. Often, a kluge is created by badly fitting together two different things that aren’t meant to work well together. For example, hanging a hedge trimmer below a shopping cart to create a lawnmower might be considered an especially obvious kluge. Extra points for duct tape. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/18 "2016-01-21T15:38:22Z")
There’s a cool one in the movie **Fracture** , which stars Anthony Hopkins. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-particular-name-for-these-types-of-machines/743543/19 "2016-01-21T20:11:36Z")
I used to know one of the guys who built for [George Rhoads.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Rhoads) They just called them “ball machines” in the shop.