LEGO Assembly Line Folds Perfect Paper Aeroplanes

LEGO creator extraordinaire Arthur Sacek has built an amazingly intricate assembly line for making paper aeroplanes from the humble toy brick. Sacek, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was inspired as a child by his school’s LEGO robotics lab, triggering a lifelong love affair that yielded a host of amazing projects, including a PinPoint Animator and the littleBits Spinning Replicator.

Sacek was commissioned to build his latest LEGO contraption by Elevation Digital Media, on behalf of Arrow Electronics. This LEGO paper aeroplane manufacturer may not be the first of its kind ever created, but it is certainly the most impressive, finishing its folding process by launching the resulting plane into the air.

The machine is powered by several LEGO Mindstorms intelligent bricks and custom code written by Sacek.

The video is part of Arrow’s ‘Five Years Out’ advertising campaign, which pitches innovation as something that should never be limited to the far-future.

“Five Years Out isn’t that far off. It’s in the tangible future. The people who live and work there know that new technologies, new materials, new ideas and new electronics will make life not only different, but better. Not just cheaper, but smarter. Not just easier, but more inspired,” Arrow’s website reads. “Five Years Out is an exciting place to be. So exciting that, once you’ve been there, it’s hard to look back. We know what’s coming is going to be so much better.”

Arrow has also released a fascinating behind-the-scenes video, detailing the development and construction of the contraption.