Simone Giertz
Inventor and YouTuber | Design Thinking & Emerging Tech
About
Simone Giertz is an inventor and YouTuber who has gained international recognition for her unconventional approach to product design and engineering. Her TED Talk "Why you should make useless things" challenges traditional notions of innovation and purpose-driven creation, advocating for the value of seemingly pointless inventions in the creative process.
Through her work, Giertz demonstrates how "useless" projects can serve as powerful learning tools, helping inventors and designers overcome perfectionism while developing technical skills without the pressure of creating something commercially viable. Her philosophy suggests that the freedom to create without practical constraints can lead to breakthrough thinking and unexpected innovations.
By embracing failure and celebrating imperfection, she has carved out a unique space in the maker community that combines engineering with entertainment and education.
What Simone Talks About
Why "useless" inventions are essential for innovation and learning
Overcoming perfectionism and fear of failure in the creative process
The role of playful experimentation in technical skill development
Building confidence through low-stakes creative projects
Redefining success and value in invention and design
Talks1
Why you should make useless things
In this joyful, heartfelt talk featuring demos of her wonderfully wacky creations, Simone Giertz shares her craft: making useless robots. Her inventions -- designed to chop vegetables, cut hair, apply lipstick and more -- rarely (if ever) succeed, and that's the point. "The true beauty of making useless things [is] this acknowledgment that you don't always know what the best answer is," Giertz says. "It turns off that voice in your head that tells you that you know exactly how the world works. Maybe a toothbrush helmet isn't the answer, but at least you're asking the question."
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