A handmade PythagoraSwitch video. A collection of my DIY Pythagora devices.
PythagoraSwitch is an educational program for young children broadcast on NHK E-Tele.
Alongside introducing content themed around rules and phenomena found in everyday life, the show features a popular segment called the Pythagora Device, which helps nurture children’s rich thinking skills.
Some people may be looking for homemade videos of Pythagora Devices packed with complex contraptions.
So in this article, we’ve gathered DIY PythagoraSwitch videos that use a variety of items.
From creations that use familiar household objects to works brimming with numerous gimmicks, be sure to check out these PythagoraSwitch videos that offer plenty to enjoy.
Handmade PythagoraSwitch video. A compilation of my original Pythagora contraptions (1–10)
100-yen shop items
I’ve heard that more people are making Rube Goldberg-style PythagoraSwitch devices as their summer vacation projects.
Larger setups can cost money in materials, but it’s reassuring if you can make good use of 100-yen shop items from places like Daiso or Seria.
Here, we’ll introduce 100-yen items that seem useful for PythagoraSwitch.
First and foremost: plastic sheets.
You can roll them, cut them, and greatly expand your creative possibilities.
They come in a variety of types, from hard to soft, so pick them up and feel the texture yourself.
It’s also a good idea to plan your device backward from 100-yen items like marbles, cans, houseplants, and wood.
Marble coaster
PythagoraSwitch is all about showing a spherical object rolling along, using various mechanisms and ideas.
So how about making a marble coaster—a coaster that purely rolls marbles, like a roller coaster but for marbles? One of the charms of a marble coaster is that if you make it compact, you can carry it around.
For the main materials, we recommend chopsticks and cardboard, which are easy to work with and inexpensive.
Starting from scratch can be tough, so be sure to take inspiration from real roller coasters!
Food and beverage containers
At NHK, showing specific company logos or products is considered a no-go.
There’s even an old urban legend about an NHK drama where a vending machine dispensed drinks with the product names covered by duct tape—maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t.
So, how about making a PythagoraSwitch-style contraption using empty containers from restaurants? Using branded containers—like McDonald’s cups and straws, CoCo Ichibanya curry bowls and spoons, or takeout containers from family restaurants like Gusto—would make the video really pop.
Creating one with a “only McDonald’s,” “only Starbucks,” etc., constraint would have a strong impact too!
stationery
PythagoraSwitch is essentially an extension of educational programming, so it’s only natural that lots of stationery shows up.
Start with pencils—they make it easy to build tracks for marbles and balls.
Combine them with rubber bands and tape, and you can even create bridge-like structures.
Notebooks are another handy item; roll one slightly and you can make an area like a snowboard half-pipe, adding a thrilling touch to freely moving marbles.
It’s a bit cliché, but erasers can stand in for dominoes.
Gathering a lot of erasers is tough, but watching them topple in large numbers is incredibly satisfying!
Kururin Ride
PythagoraSwitch often leaves a strong impression of marbles rolling the whole time, but sometimes the moving object changes partway through.
For example, bottles, pencils, and dominoes can start moving—and when it all comes back to the marble again, what a delight! There still seems to be plenty of room for ingenuity in mechanisms that swap the moving object for cars or wheels.
A single tire rolling makes for a great visual, and the sight of both wheels, including the axle, tumbling along is equally amusing.
If the object keeps transforming—from a marble to a wheel, then back to a marble—the surprise would be all the greater.
Scenes where the moving object changes and moving cars or tires take center stage could be wonderful too.
U-shaped magnet
We start learning about the invisible force of magnets—magnetic force—from third grade in elementary school.
You were probably fascinated by familiar scientific phenomena like the N and S poles and the iron filings that magnets attract.
So it might be fun to try using a U-shaped magnet in various ways.
Its biggest appeal is that it can flip the direction of a straight line with a quick twist.
Use it cleverly as an accent—or even a big highlight—in a PythagoraSwitch-style setup, which often features straight-line motion.
Also, making use of magnetism itself—whose effects can be unpredictable—could be a refreshing and original angle.
We’re looking forward to a groundbreaking idea that would surprise even the creators of the original PythagoraSwitch!
Pittashi Gora Switch
When you first start making PythagoraSwitch-style machines (Rube Goldberg machines), you probably have plenty of ideas in stock, but after building 10 or 20 of them, you’re bound to run out of material.
It’s a good idea to look for inspiration by watching the original NHK PythagoraSwitch and videos made by enthusiasts.
You might suddenly come up with ideas you didn’t have before—like turning something flat into a three-dimensional structure, or not only relying on precisely calculated effects but also making use of the fun of serendipity.
If you’re recording your own PythagoraSwitch builds on video, it might also be a refreshing change of pace to compile just the failures into a blooper reel!