My Rock, Paper, Scissors Robot Never Loses (+9 Other Inventions)

Summary by Krater

Mark Rober counts down ten of the coolest builds created at Crunch Labs over the past year, breaking down the science behind how they work and how to build simplified versions.

From the video

Answers: What are the top 10 coolest engineering builds from Crunch Labs and how do they work?

• Crunch Labs build countdown
• Physics of frictionless air hockey with airsoft BBs
• Compliant mechanisms folding chair
• Audio frequency water wave illusion
• Cordless drill water fountain wave
• Rock paper scissors robot strategy
• Continuous plywood staircase slinky machine

What it concludes

• Filling a surface with hundreds of rolling ball bearings creates a frictionless, ice-like surface.
• Applying pressure at the correct angle can make solid materials like plywood flex and bend as compliant mechanisms.
• Using a speaker frequency that matches a camera frame rate creates a frozen water wave illusion.
• Moving forward when you win and backward when you lose at rock-paper-scissors increases your odds by 10%.
• Tracking hand and finger position with infrared sensors allows a robotic hand to beat humans at rock-paper-scissors 100% of the time.