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MELVIN’S TRAVELS, FRIENDS AND FANS
Around the world
Sending his love
Conveniently built in two old suitcases, Melvin the Mini Machine is a Rube Goldberg machine specifically designed to travel the world. Each time Melvin fully completes a run, he ‘signs’ a postcard and sticks a stamp to it - making it ready to be sent.
Let‘s get non-physical
Like its bigger brother, Melvin the Mini Machine also has an online non-physical side (you’re looking at it right now) which he uses to connect to the people he meets. More on that subject later...
Interactive by default
As soon as Melvin is set up for a run, he starts gathering geographical data, which he uses to determine where he is in the world. He will then publish that info on this site and through his Twitter account and Facebook page.
If everything goes according to plan, you’ll be seeing a lot more markers appearing on the map above in the coming months.
Cheeeeese!
Truly mobile
To gather the GPS information Melvin needs to determine where he is, and to make sure he’s truly mobile, we fitted him with a smartphone equipped with a camera that we use to interact with his audience.
...and how does that work?
Not only does Melvin map where he is, he also takes pictures of his surroundings and the people he meets - pretty much like a real tourist or traveler. So, don’t be surprised to see yourself on the map when you’ve seen Melvin the Mini Machine in real life.
The mark of the Melvin
We encourage people who come watch Melvin do a run to wear a marker (or glyph). These markers can be read by Melvin’s smartphone and be used to see how many people attend a run, how big or small they are, how far away they are from the machine, and so on. We can even superimpose images on the markers.