{"id":13245,"date":"2018-05-29T11:02:26","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T01:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legoeng.local\/?p=13245"},"modified":"2022-09-19T03:25:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-18T17:25:47","slug":"meet-the-creator-akiyuki-kawaguchi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/legoeng.local\/meet-the-creator-akiyuki-kawaguchi\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Creator: Akiyuki Kawaguchi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Akiyuki Kawaguchi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Akiyuki Kawaguchi is a twenty-seven year old engineer from Japan. He is well-known for his clever Great Ball Contraption (GBC) modules and sorting machines. He uses mostly LEGO Technic and MINDSTORMS in his creations. He has over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. His work has been featured on LEGO Technic’s social media channels, including in a Blocumentary<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

How did you get started building with LEGO bricks?<\/h4>\n

I started playing with LEGO when I was just 2 years old. I started playing with Technic at age 8. My first Technic set was the Tribuggy (set number 3000). It is a very simple set with 24 pieces that was distributed with Kabaya sweets in Japan. What I found interesting was the use of a rubber band to give the trike suspension. After looking for jobs you can do from home<\/a> and building this set, I became a fan of LEGO Technic. Now, playing with LEGO is my hobby.<\/p>\n

I first saw a Great Ball Contraption (GBC) on a YouTube video for in 2008. I was very impressed by the mechanisms for carrying balls. At that time, I was still a school student and I thought that the GBC would be just right for the showpiece at my school festival. So, I proposed a GBC layout for the festival. My classmates and I executed the plan, and our GBC showpiece received praise at the school festival. This was the start of my interest in designing GBCs.<\/p>\n

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Ball Factory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Which project (or projects) are you the most proud of? Why?<\/h4>\n

I have built many GBC modules, sorting machines, and robots. However, I concentrate mostly on developing GBC modules. Ball Factory is one of my most referenced modules and probably my favorite. I like the very complex mechanism of this module.<\/p>\n

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Where do you find inspiration for new projects?<\/h4>\n

I am often inspired by real-world industrial machines. For example, strain wave gearing is a reduction gear used for industrial purposes. I wanted to utilize the concept of strain wave gearing to transport balls. This resulted in my Strain Wave Gearing GBC module.<\/p>\n

Sometimes a particular LEGO brick inspires me. As a result of trying to incorporate the element, I end up with a new GBC module.<\/p>\n

The YouTube video below demonstrates the strain wave gearing.<\/p>\n