Why you should make useless things | Simone Giertz - YouTube

In this joyful, heartfelt talk featuring demos of her wonderfully wacky creations, Simone Giertz shares her craft: making useless robots. Her inventions -- d...

Overview

Added

March 5, 2026

Audience

parent

Grade range

Grade 6–Grade 8

Page kind

Video

Keywords

TEDTalk TEDTalks creativity demo design funny personal growth robots technology

Introduction

The Value of Useless Things

  • Speaker: Simone Giertz, an inventor and maker known for creating "useless robots."
  • Core Philosophy: Giertz advocates for the importance of building things that serve no practical purpose, focusing on the joy of creation rather than utility.
  • Methodology: Her process involves building "wonderfully wacky" inventions that often fail or perform tasks in absurd, inefficient ways.
  • Key Takeaway: Embracing failure and the "useless" allows for creative freedom, experimentation, and a more playful approach to engineering and problem-solving.
  • Tone: The talk is described as joyful and heartfelt, emphasizing the human element behind technical projects.

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