Ransom’s Ridiculous Robots

My kids are entrepreneurs. They can’t help it - it’s in their blood.

This week, my son posted the first episode of his own YouTube channel: "Ransom's Ridiculous Robots", where he takes other people's everyday problems, then designs and makes functional robots that address those problems.

I thought I’d give some space to share about Ransom and his project here…

A short Q+A with Ransom:

Who are you?

My name is Ransom, and I’m nine years old. I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I have three older sisters, a dog, a cat, and my parents.

How did you get interested in robots?

I've always liked playing with LEGOs and K'NEX. Almost every day I make different machines or contraptions. I get the designs from my own head - I just think them up! I like hearing about robots, reading about robots, and watching videos about robots.

When I was 6 years old I started a journal called "Ransom's Electronic Ideas" (R.E.I.). People wrote their everyday problems in there, and I designed electronic machines for them that solved the problems. They started their notes with "Dear Mr. R.E.I.". I'm not calling my YouTube channel "R.E.I." because there's already a store named REI - I've been there before, but I didn't buy anything.

What's your inspiration for making your own YouTube channel?

I like how Mark Rober makes cool machines and how he worked for NASA on the Mars rover, Curiosity. I also like how Simone Giertz didn't have a lot of experience in robotics and she still made a lot of cool robots.

What do you want to accomplish with "Ransom's Ridiculous Robots"?

I want to learn about robotics and make robots. I can inspire other kids to do the same!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I've wanted to be a robotics engineer since I was 3 years old. There's a video of my 4th birthday when I said I wanted to be a robotics engineer when I grow up.