PythagoraSwitch

To perform the simplest of tasks in a complex and roundabout way can often be a point of frustration.  Our lives are filled with devices that aim to streamline and optimise every imaginable daily activity.

But what happens when imagination, rather than the outcome of the action, is the driving factor?  Enter PythagoraSwitch, a Japanese science show for children where truly incredible machines introduce each episode.

A collection appears in the following video clip - get ready to see books, picture rails, marbles, buckets and all sorts of everyday household items manipulated in surprising harmony.   The stuff around you will never look the same again!

So what will you do next time someone asks you to pass the salt?

Whether you call these contraptions the Pythagoras Switch, Rube Goldberg or Heath Robinson machines… the common thread reamains.  It is all about engaging in an entertaining and overly complex process to arrive at a simple outcome.   To see the concept of efficiency turned about in this way is most refreshing.

This larger clip will have you humming along to the perky theme song, as your eyes widen in surprise and delight.

And as a special treat for those who really can’t get enough, here’s an 18 minute collection containing further highlights from the Japanese show.