Five teams of young tech enthusiasts came together for the annual ‘Rube Goldberg’ competition, themed around ‘Sustainable Agriculture’. The event was made possible with support from the GreenSCI project – ‘Green Science at the Service of Healthy Society’.
For 10 days, from September 1 to September 10, 2023, the teams worked on designing machines with dimensions up to 1.6m x 1.6m x 2m. The designs followed a modular principle, aiming to achieve at least 10 transfer stages (unique nodes) within a time limit of 90-120 seconds. Yesterday, on September 13, in the large tent at the Open-Air Technical Museum Park of the Technical University of Moldova, the teams showcased their creations in front of the jury and a select audience—participants of the ‘Innovative Manufacturing Engineering & Energy’ International Conference, organized and hosted by UTM.
The jury meticulously assessed the projects based on well-defined criteria: smooth execution of the machine (without interventions); complexity of the machine; variety of energy types used; aesthetic aspect/design of the machine; creativity in the solutions employed; adherence to the specified time; presentation of the machine and its functionality description. The task was considered successfully complete when the machine finished its transfer stages (nodes) by irrigating a plant.
The most ingenious and highly regarded by both the jury and the audience were the members of the AC/DC team from the Faculty of Energetics and Electrical Engineering, who scored the maximum points. Students Florin Teslari (ISEM-201), Corneliu Răileanu (ISEM-2021), Valentin Bânzaru (ISEM-201), Gheorghe Sârbu (ISER-211), Ion Căinăreanu (ISER-221), and Ciprian Savciuc (ISEM-231) had Lucian Grușac and Alexandru Jalbă as their mentors. Their creation was recognized as the ‘Best Rube Goldberg Machine – 2023,’ earning them medals, first place diplomas, and the Grand Prize of 2500 lei.”
The second place was claimed by the team from the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications, whose members – Igor Fortuna (IMTC-201), Victor Zmuncilă (IMTC-201), Victor Sclifos (IMTC-201), Marius Grosu (IMTC-221), Nicolae Fachira (IMTC-201), and Vlad Trohin (RST-221) – were mentored by Artur Kazak. Their machine was awarded second place medals, diplomas, and a prize of 2000 lei.
The list of winners also featured the team from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Transport, consisting of Piotr Stratiev, Pavel Chirovici, Tatiana Tiganas, and Iulia Cebotari, guided by mentor Alexandru Buga. They were awarded third place medals, diplomas, and a prize of 1500 lei.
Furthermore, the jury acknowledged the effort of the teams from the Faculty of Constructions, Geodesy, and Cadastre – Daniela Boghiu, Vasile Muntean, Cristina Sînchetru, and Vera Samoil, students from the IGC-2303 group, guided by mentor Viorica Țibichi. Additionally, the team from the Faculty of Computers, Informatics, and Microelectronics – ‘Electronics – the Wizards of Progress’ – Adrian Cheptene (MN-221), Daniel Gînu (MN-221), Serghei Anati (IBM-211), Alexandr Chiriac (EA-231), Sergiu Maliî (EA-231), mentored by Maxim Chiriac, won the 4th and 5th places.
Warm congratulations to all you talented young individuals for your technical creativity!
