A class project where we had to get a golf ball from one side of the box to the other in exaclty 60 seconds (points were deducted for a time above or below 60 sec). To get the timing just right, the entire thing was controlled by a microcontroller. As the ball entered the first side, it tripped a laser-photocell gate. If any of the processes had run quicker or slower than they were supposed to, the microcontroller compensated by adjusting the rate at which the golf ball was lifted in the last step. At exactly 60 seconds, the ball was released by solenoids at the other side. Everything in the middle was just for show.