Camille and Genevieve Beatty: Teen and Tween and Already Accomplished Engineers

At ages 14 and 12, Camille and Genevieve have already made some impressive accomplishments. As key members of the Beatty Robotics team, they have built their own CNC machine, designed a Mars rover for the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), and built a creepy-but-cool 16-legged walking robot. They’ve also designed robots for other museums and for themselves, built their own quad copters, and created other cool projects like a wireless XBee telegraph system and steampunk jewelry.

The Beatty sisters and their father Robert were recently honored to be invited to participate in the White House Maker Faire. President Obama even mentioned them during his 20 minute address during the event:

Camille and Genevieve Beatty are here today from Asheville, North Carolina. They’re 14 and 12 years old. Where are they? Raise your hands, guys. There you are. (Applause.) They happen to be the co-founders of Beatty Robotics. Genevieve does the wiring, Camille machines the metal. As their website puts it, “Who needs a paper route when you can start a robotics company?” (Laughter.) That’s a pretty good motto. That’s great, I love that. (Laughter.)

But the Beattys say one of the main things they’ve learned over the last few years isn’t about power tools or engineering or electronics. What they’ve learned is that, “If you can imagine it, then you can do it — whatever it is.” And that’s a pretty good motto for America.

With that attitude, I can only imagine that Camille and Genevieve will continue to accomplish some pretty incredible things, no matter what they set their minds to. They are a wonderful inspiration to engineers, makers, and creators of all stripes.