Rube Goldberg Machine Shows the "Power of Optics"

When I was a kid I was occasionally forced to participate in an “Invention Convention” run by my school district. You could either invent and build an actual thing, or you could just draw a Rube Goldberg machine. Guess which option I chose? The inciting incident was always the hardest thing to come up with. They were generally pretty lame, but that is not the case with this incredible Rube Goldberg contraption that was built by a Japanese Internet service provider called au Hikari. The machine uses a series of mirrors and lenses to focus light to set the various components in motion — it burns a string, pops a balloon, melts some ice, etc. The video is called “Power of Optics,” and I have no idea what it has to do with Internet service providing, but it is definitely cool. I have also included a video with look at the making of the short.