The Pythagorean instrument is designed as a massive coffee mug that measures roughly 3.5 m in height and 3 m in width. A wooden ball is released from the top into a staircase-shaped maze that plays Christmas songs as it rolls downwards striking the tuned xylophone steps on its way in a whimsical and entertaining display.
It is part of the Nescafé Goldberg Barista i Coffee Moment Ensemble, a limited time Christmas event running from 2nd December to 25th December, which has been designed to inject even more interactive fun into Nestlé’s concept of connecting people through coffee-time moments delivered by its Nescafé Goldberg Barista i, a Bluetooth enabled coffee machine.
The contraption consists of 180 xylophone keys and 1450 individual parts. Its construction required approximately five months and utilized laser machining as well as a number of other cutting-edge technologies.
The instrument name itself is derived from popular Japanese “Pythagorean” devices, which are more commonly known as Rube Goldberg machines in the US or Heath Robinson contraptions in the UK.
How the Wooden Pythagorean Musical Instrument works
Brewing a cup of coffee with Christmas music inside is easy:
1.- Brew a coffee via the Nescafé Goldblend Barista i app.
2.- On the app, select the emoticon that best fits your current mood.
The emoticon then transforms into a cute bird character and appears on the screen at Nescafé Harajuku.
3.- At the same time, a wooden ball is released from the top of the wooden Pythagorean instrument to play a melody as it rolls down striking the tuned steps.
A different melody plays on each day of the event in conjunction with data at the time of brewing from Barista i users nationwide who use the Nescafé app to brew.
The performed songs aim to encourage Christmas spirit, consisting of the following three well-known songs: “We wish you a Merry Christmas”, “Joy to the World” and “Winter Wonderland”
Image over the headline.- Nestlé Pythagorean machine. © Nestlé Japan.
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