The best feature of this elaborate Lego Mindstorms miniature factory is how utterly useless it is in the grand scheme of things. As its name implies, the Papercube spends about three minutes diligently performing just a single task: making a tiny folded paper cube.

The engineering that powers the Papercube is what’s most impressive, particularly when you consider every last moving part is made from Lego. The only parts that aren’t are the class 4 laser that cuts and scores the paper sheets as they’re loaded in, and the safety glass that prevents the machine from blinding anyone wanting to peer inside while it works-which is anyone lucky enough to see the Papercube in person.

[ Heise Online via IEEE Spectrum]