In Search of Fun Robots

Better Question: When does efficiency destroy value?

As the metal ball starts to climb, Fender asks Rodney Copperbottom a question: “First time on the Cross-Town Express?”

From Fender’s bodily reaction and “ooo-wee,” we can tell that this will be an experience to remember.

That’s because the Crosstown Express has more in common with a roller coaster than it does with our real-world inner-city transit systems.

If you aren’t familiar with the movie Robots, the Cross-Town Express pays homage to a Rube Goldberg machine, a contraption that solves a simple problem in the most ridiculously inefficient way possible.

Rather than riding a subway in a straight line, Fender and Rodney move through the city like a giant ping pong ball.