 If the machine malfunctions, team members are permitted to manually guide it to the next step; a penalty is assessed for each intervention.The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest originated at Purdue University in 1949 as a competition between Theta Tau and Triangle fraternities, and it was held annually until 1956.Phi chapter of Theta Tau revived the contest in 1983 as a competition open to all Purdue students.