Nestlé sets up bonkers machine that plays Christmas tunes and brews coffee
Nestlé has set up an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine in downtown Tokyo that will take your coffee order and play you "Joy to the World".
The 3.5m (11.5 ft) contraption consists of 1,450 pieces of wood, of which 180 are tuned to play notes to the song as a ball bearing rolls across them. The ball also triggers hammers to strike glockenspiel keys along the way, creating a bell-like symphony behind the melody.
The machine is installed in the Nescafé outlet in trendy Harajuku, to promote the company's Bluetooth-enabled coffee makers. After the user selects a coffee preference in a companion app, the machine begins brewing while the ball bearing is released from the top of the wooden contraption.
Nestlé said it took about five months to make the machine.
It's on display until Christmas Day in Tokyo and set to play different Christmas tunes on different days.
Here's a social media post of it playing "Winter Wonderland."
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
