The company AU Hikari (Light) has produced a Rube Goldman machine that ingeniously uses light as its catalyst. It’s difficult to say if the video is actually advertising anything, but it does show the power of optics.
For the unacquainted, a Rube Goldman machine is a needlessly intricate device designed to do a simple task, often involving a ball rolling from one part to another causing chain reactions. Take a Rube Goldman machine and replace the ball with light, and you have the “Power of Optics” presented by AU Hikari.
A couple hints for watching the video: Be sure to turn the volume up to hear the pops, splashes, and singing noises that pierce through the eerie silence. Also, watch for the disco ball, it adds the party-factor into the “Power of Optics.”
AU Hikari is a Japanese high speed internet service provider that uses optical cords to deliver service, although you would never tell from the “Power of Optics” video.
The optics and light is more than just a great way to make a ball roll down a track or provide high-speed Internet access. As reported by The Inquisitr , scientists have even been attempting the harness the power of light for high-speed space travel. The idea, called a solar sail, has been in development for a number of years, and still holds promise as a future propulsion source.
But while we are stuck on Earth, light can still be a lot of fun to manipulate using mirrors, prisms, and magnifying glasses, as the “Power of Optics” shows.
For people who may want to create their own Rube Goldman machine using light, AU was nice enough to produce a “making of the ‘Power of Optics’” video, shown below.
