Uploaded November 2013 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago

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. Perhaps you've seen kinetic artist Arthur Ganson's "Machine with Concrete" recently? (youtube.com/watch?v=5q-BH-tvxEg)

This is my LEGO-based adaptation of that albeit for fewer gear reductions and a slightly different setup. The principle is in demonstrating the exponential powers of gear ratios. As you gear something down over and over, the gear ratio grows exponentially larger.

In this case, the motor turns 340 RPM.
The torque is about 11 N-cm.
The gear reduction is as follows:

Pulleys: (7:2)^2 = 12.25:1
1st worm gear block: 24:1
2nd worm gear block: (3:1) x (24:1) = 72:1
3rd worm gear block: (5:3) x (24:1) = 40:1
4th, 5th, & 6th worm gear blocks: ((3:1) x (72:1))^3 = 373,248:1
Final gear: 5:1

Multiply them all together and the total ratio is: 1,580,182,732,800:1
The total torque then is 11 times the ratio = 17,382,010,060,800 N-cm

If you calculate for time, the 40 tooth gear at the end would rotate only once about every 8,837 years. You'd have to wait about 221 years just for the gear to turn one tooth. _
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