Marble Machine 3

This is a wooden marble machine. It is 6 feet tall, and is powered only by potential energy, a little kinetic energy and gravity. there are no motors, batteries or cranks. It uses a 3/8 inch diameter steel marble, which starts at the bottom, and goes to the top, and then returns to the bottom,making this trip about 1,300 times in 24 hours.

[@josephwatson4616]

Richard passed away in 2013 and was never able to complete his amazing marble machine. I visited him on several occasions and did get to see all these bits and pieces for myself. As I recall, Richard simply wanted to make his machine initially start with the marble at the bottom, not the top as is customary in such machines. He wanted an elaborate first trip to the top, hence all these special mechanisms you see here. Once the marble reached the top, it was to traverse in successive sequence, one of 25 relatively simple trips to the bottom, returning each time by an elevator to the top. That is why one would have to reset all these mechanisms only once for an entire 24 hour run.

[@ixisuprflyixi]

Joseph Watson his amazing talent will be missed. Thanks for sharing.

[@alen7480]

Thank you for explaining that. I was wondering about having to reset the mechanism every time and the point of the 25 different trips, but now it makes sense. I am sad to hear about his passing.

[@samdamon2847]

I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your friend. Thank you for your insights abut the man and the machine. Do you know what became of it? My hope is that it was bought by a museum or tech company like Google or Facebook, who'd complete it and then display it n their lobby.

[@crsproductions2003]

Rest In Peace Richard you will be missed

[@SS00UUPP]

OMG REALLY? I watched this video ever since I was little, and I was so mesmerized by this. This guy was a genius, and my childhood. Rest In Peace Richard, This marble maze will stay in my heart forever.

[@josephwatson4616]

Answering the question of how Richard made all these intricate wooden parts, he used very great care in machining each part. He also made several miniature machines to help make the wooden parts. As I recall, he had made a small lathe and a small belt sander just to help machine the wooden parts. Richard was easily the most organized and exacting craftsman I have ever known in my 71 years. I miss him.

[@francop2666]

Do you know how to make what he made? I wish to learn.

[@francop2666]

Are there any drawings to his design?

[@garyblyth187]

Thank you for sharing this . A masterpiece, you are indeed lucky to have known him

[@crsproductions2003]

Joseph Watson I love his work too

[@PhilJonesIII]

I made a wooden table once. Felt quite proud at the time. Now Ive seen this and I want to hide it.

[@dennismetz5391]

Grayson levitation tutorial

[@dennismetz5391]

Fearson milk carton levitation

[@Mr_Rick]

Absolutely genius. I have never seen such automata as advanced as this. Stunning!

[@zunitproductions]

Oh my gosh. i cant even comprehend all of the little elements and switches and stuff. Wow!!!!!

[@TomHaroldArt]

Mr. Browne, you are an outstanding individual! Thanks so much for posting such a detailed video of your work. I'm really blown away by the level of craftsmanship and the intricacy of your mechanisms. Where on earth did you get all the ideas?

[@jimjakosh2506]

Sorry to hear he passed away. What a mind to figure all these intricate mechanisms. Rest in peace, Richard.

[@hasslefactory]

I love this! What a wonderful, creative thing to imagine, design and make! Thanks for sharing!

[@Workmule4ever2day]

After waching this video several dozen times, I must say that... I wanna build one!

[@pamlico120]

How could anyone not like this. Surely takes brains which I guess not all of us have. Great craftsmanship, shows the talent that USA use to have. Not alot of guys around like this one. Now we have china build disposal junk for us. China also got our jobs. Thanks for the enjoyment.

[@unobiunobi]

I must say, this is perhaps the most sophisticated marble machine i have ever seen since i joined youtube. A great invention, i must say. However, same as aletof down there, I'd be most interested to know how the machine resets itself, since in your video you are painstakingly setting the machine just for one single run.. However, really awesome project! Hope you could finish it:D

[@carmelpule1]

Brilliant in thought , in design and in its execution. My congratulations. And it is not a useless machine, it is a means to keep a healthy active mind.

[@melanielane003]

I couldnt agree more!!

[@BernardColdwell]

Great hobby piece and amazing machine to watch

[@deadtopcat]

This would be really kool in the corner of a room in place of a really expensive fish tank.

[@emorag]

I am in awe. This is a beautiful machine. I would love to see close-ups of the individual mechanisms. My favorite is the magnetic marble slinger.

[@janacampbell415]

What a work of Art. Beautiful.

[@flyosity]

This is completely amazing. You're truly a master woodworker. Great video!!

[@Waltham1892]

Rube Goldberg would be so proud...

[@thedogdogification]

Absolutely stunning. Such an ambitious concept, and such an array of finely-crafted ideas to carry all of it out.

[@fireandcopper]

What you have done is... Nothing less than amazing.

[@MattWho777]

When engineers retire lol!

[@kckcmctcrc]

There's a fine line between an Engineer and an Artist.

[@jbraga7166]

There are the third type: not engineer, not an artist like the uploader.

[@tankuman]

An engineer is an artist...

[@melanielane003]

@@tankuman Amen.

[@ClickItYT]

Disney calls such people *Imagineers!*

[@ikraamIQ]

How does the antigravity hill work?

[@josephwatson4616]

There was a magnet hidden under the track that was being pulled up by the mechanism. The steel marble was attracted to the magnet and so appeared to roll up hill apparently ignoring the force of gravity.

[@lmeza1983]

You sir deserve my like and my respect, you sir are a genius, what do you for living if I can ask?

[@werty1432k]

I'm curious as to how the anti-gravity hill works! Thank you for sharing this with us on KZbin and amazing work!

[@MrEricanthony]

Was such a brilliant man. God rest him.

[@Speedmew223]

I don't under stand y there is a 24 marble guage if u have to reset the whole machine for every trip up to the summet. please explain.

[@LetsDoMath]

I echo collomps' comment... Genius. I hooe you will be able to insure this - an amazing piece that will be a fanatastic heirloom. I wonder if the experts on Antiques Roadshow would know what to say about this. If you have kids they must think you are the coolest Dad ever.

[@Meticularius]

6/16/2019 USA Grandpa Bill: This belongs in a museum in Washington, D.C.

[@sageyash]

mmm i can't understand the anti gravity hill part do u use a magnet or is it an optical illusion :) ?

[@mobyander]

Absolutely Amazing. You're a freakin Genius.

[@CapnSchep]

Truly innovative!! Can't wait to see the finally!!

[@gummadivishalreddy9577]

Hey Richard it was really good. Can you explain how the ball went up @(3:35-3:42 secs )

[@samdamon2847]

Sadly, Richard Browne died in 2013. His friend, +Joseph Watson posted an answer above: "There was a magnet hidden under the track that was being pulled up by the mechanism. The steel marble was attracted to the magnet and so appeared to roll up hill apparently ignoring the force of gravity." Pure genius!

[@racma8698]

Just GREAT !

[@racketman2u]

I can't even begin to imagine how many hundreds of hours went into designing and building this thing. now if I can just come up with a rationale as to why I need a non-electrical 24-hour delay mechanism ....

[@303irish]

Absolutely amazing!!! You have an incredible ability and I want to thank you for taking the time in creating this marble machine, to describe and demonstrate each element. It is a pleasure to watch and hear your descriptions. Thank you very much! Please don't stop creating, you have a capability that few possess.

[@patrol681]

What an incredibly complex piece of machinery. Did you design this yourself, and if not, how did you come by the design? Certainly a credit to your ingenuity and patience. Something to be proud of, - thanks for sharing with us.

[@FrenchFriezFreak]

DUDE!!!! YOUR BEYOND AWESOME!!!!!!!

[@Starwithnonname]

This is a truly remarkable work of engineering. Can I make a suggestion? Well, I will anyway. Perhaps when you specify measurements, you can put the metric equivalent in brackets next to the Imperial. Most of the world thinks in metric and to cater for non-Americans would be nice. Once again - incredible creation. Well done and good video of explanation of its workings.

[@BeavisButtHeadMrBeavis]

its not that hard for YOU to do the imperial to metric. Google "Imperial to metric measurement chart"

[@Starwithnonname]

Beavis ButtHead there are only two non-metric countries in the world: Liberia and the USA. If we ever get a visit from aliens - how embarrassing would it be to have to explain why the imperial system is still in use. Metric is sensible - imperial is ridiculous. Get with the times and come out of the Dark Ages.

[@joserios-mx4bz]

Wendlander Halseller Hola que tal pudiste comprar el libro??? podrias decirme que contenidos tiene y si es interesante como se ve??? gracias

[@theragingcreeper9040]

Starwithnonname My friend. USA brought u out of the dark ages!

[@universalsailor]

TheRagingCreeper Who do you mean? Europe? The United States did not start the industrial revolution, no matter what your schools may have taught you. The modern world mostly comes from England.

[@muggsman0]

Awesome! Nice work!

[@OttosTheName]

Fun to watch, but it sounds even better!

[@TheMADmuseumltd]

Love the sculpture Steve! Would you have any similar items that could be made available to our museum for display, perhaps on a short-term loan basis? We specialise in mechanical, moving exhibits and something like this would be a great fit for our museum. I would love to hear from you. Best wishes, Iain Simmons. The MAD Museum (UK).

[@samdamon2847]

I'm not sure who Steve is, but sady, Richard Browne died in 2013, before the machine was completed. So he never saw your request. His friend, Joseph Watson, wrote a short tribute above as well as some insight about this machine. You can contact Joseph about the machine on his youtube account: kzbin.info/door/sXrEMg6iZlv6Ajqkj12pow

[@titusllewelyn]

What an amazing feat. R.I.P. Richard.

[@Baconjuice]

Absolutely incredible engineering! Thank You for sharing this masterpiece with us, I was amazed! Subbed/Liked!

[@deepzenpill69]

This is maybe the best 10 minutes I have ever spent on youtube. Please grace up with part four. Thank you for building building and posting.

[@spicyxlilxman]

beautiful! i love the noises it makes.

[@gasdoc4789]

so you have to reset the whole machine for every marble? Sounds like a great weekend! You could have like 3 or 4 runs to fill an otherwise incredibly boring weekend.

[@gasdoc4789]

jlbnl;jb;ljk

[@universalsailor]

Richard Browne -- superb!

[@A_Soybean]

wonderfull i hope u have a fun time finishing that

[@marinalbear]

u used splice to make it? u used colorfade, i think so

[@justinyueh4777]

wait...how does the anti gravity hill work??

[@samdamon2847]

The builder of this amazing machine died in 2013. His friend, +Joseph Watson posted an answer above: "There was a magnet hidden under the track that was being pulled up by the mechanism. The steel marble was attracted to the magnet and so appeared to roll up hill apparently ignoring the force of gravity." Pure genius!

[@jorgerosasmorales3429]

Admiro esos tipos de ingenieria " Una mente maestra favorece a la humanidad pero mas a quien la poseé

[@Untoldanimations]

How does it run for 24 hours when the lifts have been used? Does it reset itself?

[@FlynnClubbaire]

Good question! Resetting itself would be a violation of conservation of energy! As the ball goes up, each lift-machine transfers its potential energy into the ball. In order for the machines to be reset, this potential energy has to be put back into all of the lift machines, and it cannot be less potential energy than what they started with. This is where friction becomes a pain, as it is constantly taking little bits of that energy, and converting it into heat. This means that when the ball tries to reset all of the machines, it will come short (perhaps only being able to reset a few of them). The only solution is to have some kind of spring-wound system whose energy can be released periodically by the ball falling down. This energy can then be used to reset the lifting machines used. No such mechanism was displayed in this video. Frankly, though, even if it can't reset, I'm still dumbfounded. The mechanical ingenuity required just to make a machine that can store and release energy like that is amazing in its own right.

[@protoborg]

FlynnClubbaire You are not entirely correct. If the machine is well lubricated the loss of energy to heat can be essentially eliminated. Thus, it IS possible for the ball to reset ALL of the pieces.

[@FlynnClubbaire]

protoborg If by "well lubricated", you mean built out of materials which are atomically solid, and somehow kinetically insulated from the outside world, then yes, you are quite correct. I'm going to try to avoid beating this topic to death here, so here's the short story: Even if you lubricate the thing, impacts with all of the various materials will still cause vibrational losses in energy (sound, for instance). On top of that, the machines cannot be reset using less energy than they started with. Lubrication does not stop energy loss; it merely reduces it. Even the smallest loss prevents the machines from resetting. This means that the marble needs to either start with nonzero mechanical energy, or mechanical energy needs to be added to the marble every time it completes a loop (hence, spring-loaded). The problem with either of these is distributing this friction-counteracting energy to all of the machines evenly. If any excess energy is used up when the first machine is reset, then it's useless. And that distribution is majorly complicated to do, mind you! So, the simplest solution is just to spring-load everything, and have the marble trigger a partial release of energy from the spring.

[@paulodeoliveira3368]

FlynnClubbaire I feel like a child again - in awe!

[@JosueGarciarace]

Noo that's how long it takes one marble to complete the whole thing! lmao

[@honkynel]

Great stuff. enjoyed watching it. A lot of great sub-concepts working towards a high marble. Brilliant!

[@torobyte]

Real cool machine. Pretty interesting ideas you incorporated to raise the marble to the different levels. Make me want to try to build something similar one day.

[@DanMorenus]

Beautiful work!

[@thinguyetle4872]

3:44: My favorite part 7:59: Full part

[@xeniaguy2]

For those who asked about the anti-gravity hill, here is the explanation. The marble rolling down the first small hill has enough inertia to travel up the next hill about an inch and a half. Near the end of this uphill travel, the marble operates a lever, which pulls a pin out of a hole in the bottom of a thin wooden sled that rides in a tunnel below the floor of the uphill ramp. The sled, about a eighth of an inch thick, contains a strong neodymium magnet. (continued in next comment).

[@SurferDude259]

Dude. You HAVE to send me the video when you complete it, this is amazing. I respect you for this.

[@darkwalter]

This is really brilliant.

[@P4rtyDuck]

Respect Sir, You are a genius !

[@5434345]

This device looks more like an advanced Rube Goldberg Contraption than a marble machine.

[@koonabikes]

how does the anti gravity hill work

[@ecophage]

very cool, Im building a steel coaster i might put on my channel. Ive been watching them for inspiration. Yours Is top notch!

[@thomashughes4859]

This is a machine to demonstrate how life works: It takes decades to read, learn, practise, and polish your skills; it takes countless hours of dedication to building on this planet, which wants its forces returned to it as it was formed and is being absorbed by forces which put it into play; and then we watch for a brief few moments the culmination of this time and effort in a short journey following a marble to the TOP! All earth wants to do is tear everything down towards its centre, and all man wants to do is reach for the heavens! The battle will never end till time itself runs its course, and the last grain of sand has exited the glass. Bravo, Mr. Browne! Bravo! Thank you for your love, patience, sharing, and your brilliant machine! You will be missed ... Godspeed! PS - I am privileged to see this on Pi Day!

[@MichaelSHartman]

Fascinating. Rube Goldburg would brag on you. Good luck and thanks for uploading.

[@Penessence]

What a great device. Do you plans for this and can plans be bought?

[@MickLBrad]

Richard, thank you for shaing your videos and your knowledge!

[@WM_46]

But how do all of those other pieces automatically reset if it's supposed to run for 24 hours?

[@jbraga7166]

That is the bullshit part in his project. The video was uploaded in 2009. So far he had more than 1,5 million views and this works only once, not 24h

[@rustypanels1917]

Copy of a reply from above. Richard passed away in 2013 and was never able to complete his amazing marble machine. I visited him on several occasions and did get to see all these bits and pieces for myself. As I recall, Richard simply wanted to make his machine initially start with the marble at the bottom, not the top as is customary in such machines. He wanted an elaborate first trip to the top, hence all these special mechanisms you see here. Once the marble reached the top, it was to traverse in successive sequence, one of 25 relatively simple trips to the bottom, returning each time by an elevator to the top. That is why one would have to reset all these mechanisms only once for an entire 24 hour run. Show less REPLY

[@stevenbryanlim]

that was so... awesome!

[@PowerSports]

What engineering school did you go to? Cause I want to transfer there!!! LOL,... your a genius!!!

[@nevercallmebyname]

should design it to reset itself

[@marteejadev.forelo4814]

you will defy the law of perpetual motion then....

[@josoverthehill]

As of 08/11/19, 322 people have NO IMAGINATION or excitement for the wonderfully simple things in life (that is so complex my brain hurts). My mouth was on the table almost the entire time I was watching this. Incredible.

[@AlbertPhan]

Props to you, this is amazing!

[@samdamon2847]

Sadly, Richard Browne died in 2013, before completing this machine. My hope is that it's been bought by some major tech company like Google, Facebook, Tesla, etc who would complete it and then display it in their lobby. Ideally, they would also loan it out to museums around the world.

[@1garthkennedy]

Thank you so much for posting this.....it's great work!!

[@gregorybarr6112]

Truly amazing and fun to watch,THANKS!

[@thomascoleman7301]

I really like the machine, but with 25 possible return paths, why not have it rest it's self for continuous working? There seems to be plenty of excess movement energy generated and with 25+ marbles to work with I think you could do it.

[@ToastyMozart]

Wow, that's impressive. Mechanical Art :)

[@cncwoodworxroc6881]

I've admired Mr brownes brilliant marble machine work for several years now and his dedication to this idea for over 60 years. It truly sad to all of us to hear of his passing and know this may never be completed. Wish the whereabouts of it were know to complete his dream. the world has lost a great mechanical mind....

[@williamhoughton2140]

Sorry to read Richard is no longer with us. Tried to follow his videos and make some parts, did not know which wood he used , I guest balsa! . others would break up to easily. Did not understand how elevator, worked or how some parts reset. Would love to see complete explanation of all , bit by bit.

[@williamhoughton2140]

Hi there, some more I found out , when I first heard of RB ,I did some research and came across a magazine from US with other projects he had been commit ion to put in. One was a large tower block , with a ball lifter on the inside and various ways down on the outside. I made this, it went up on a screw lift, and ball release via a trip door. It would run all the time , while motor was running, memorising to watch.

[@drgrit]

Hey! You are the definition of AWESOME :D

[@michaelholman4080]

I was going to say I'm 71 years old now and I hope I get to see the finished project before I die. Sorry to hear Richard passed away, I was really hoping to see the entire project finished. 😭✝️💟☮️

[@xeniaguy2]

This escapement is timed to let the marble go up the hill in small steps, allowing it to go around the pegs that force the marble to zigzag on its' way up. At the top of the hill, the marble goes through a small one way gate, and then hits a stop. The magnet continues for a short distance, pulling away from the marble which is held by the stop. It then rolls back down against the one way gate, and off the back of the ramp, and down the curved track. Hope this explains things ok. Xeniaguy2

[@xeniaguy2]

The steel marble becomes attracted to this magnet, just before the pin is pulled. The magnet sled now travels up the hill, pulled by a lead weight, which starts at the top of the vertical ramp support. The weight is inside the vertical support, and is connected to the magnet sled by a thin cable that wraps around a spindle on an axle at the top of the support. As the weight drops, it's' descent is governed by an escapement mechanism on the end of the axle. (continued in next comment)

[@Cytixnet]

You my friend, are crazily amazing!

[@pony16]

awesome! thanks for making this

[@rossroderickwhitney]

This is far and away the most elegant and beautiful of all such marble-run devices. Richard was hugged upon his arrival in heaven by Isaac Newton.

[@josefernandoarango1669]

COMO ES POSIBLE CON SEGUIR LOS PLANOS PARA PODER FABRICARLO GRACIAS ES INCREIBLE

[@jjb2723]

Unsure what this machine is for, but i don't think that really matters... its fantastic and you are clearly passionate about it. Great piece of work. Congratulations.

[@chickensaladeater]

Can you build me one of these for my 29th birthday?

[@Bluestube111]

We were told in high school physics that perpetual motion was out of the question, but that you could, with careful planning and precise engineering, get close...

[@bojakbludo]

genious... are you crazy or what :-)

[@jacobusbezuidenhout4908]

Hi Richard Amazing ,Wonderful ,Great cannot find the right word for this Do you plans for this and how can i get hold of it

[@drillx6950]

The amount of time and effort to make this beauty... It's admirable... And the fact that it's all made to go upwards without motors has to be the icing on the cake...

[@laurennaveo2600]

started from the bottom now we here

[@locouk]

@Tsutaru I get to the end of the video, then skip to 0:00 and sit in awe and amazement of how someone can be so creative.

[@NANONilsWORLD]

5:55 the last marble startet again the new trap doors...cool !!!

[@juancarlosperego291]

que interesante y creativo tu trabajo, como me encantaria que tu juego o debo decir "maquina" debas venderlo y cual sería su uso? me gusta la idea de pensar un tiempos, marcar ritmos de trabajos o de etapas de trabajo de forma divertida, otra aplpicación sería en la agricultura marcando tiempos para almacenaje de agua y su distribución, riegos diferentes para plantas diferentes, incluso enfermas, este tipo de creaciones hace que piense que no utilizamos ni la quinta parte de nuestro cerebro, como arquitecto me gustaria que una máquina así abra las ventanas a ciertas horas, que cierres las cortinas o que al término del día apague todas las instalaciones eléctricas y así ahorrar energía.....te felicito un trabajo maravilloso y disculpa que no sepa inglés

[@TheSentientCloud]

Damn "tabletop" rube goldberg machines!