Jack Greenfield, who was the tech guy at Fab@CIC for about a year, was responsible for upping the gumball machine to a new level. 

The most comprehensive explanation is here. 

These days, Jack is a lab technician at Northeastern's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and still consulting on the gumball machine. 

Our newest projects: creating an Arduino-based version, and migrating towards a smaller for factor for the Arduino.