Boy sets up his own robotics company at the age of just EIGHT

Callum Daniel (Picture: Dionne Daniel) (Image: Dionne Danie)

So far, nothing unusual – until you realise that Callum is just eight-years-old.

The youngster’s business, iCodeRobots, aims to inspire other children to learn about robotics, and has received sponsorship from Loughborough University London and the London Design and Engineering University Technical College (LDEUTC)

“He started robotics when he was four old,” Callum’s mum Dionne explained.

“We went on holiday to Butlins and he saw this robot, Titan, and that was that, really.

“We went back another two times that year.”

Dionne then bought Callum a robot that he could build himself, which he then had to learn to code to make it move.

“He said to me, ‘Can I have a company so that I have someone to build with?

“‘And can we have girls, girls are really cool at building?’”

Callum, who attends St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Walthamstow, said: “My mum bought me a Mechanoid G15 personal robot, which took me four weeks to build. I travelled with the Mechanoid and built it everywhere I went.

“I was surrounded by a group of children who, like myself, enjoyed building robots but some couldn’t afford the Mechanoid G15.

“I asked my mum to enrol me on a robotic course, but couldn’t find one local to us, so I decided to set up my own company.

“I searched for robotic classes, lectures, anywhere where I could meet robots. I attended some talks at the LDEUTC, and I was the youngest person there taking notes and demonstrating the robots.”

Callum hopes that his company will help to inspire other youngsters with an interest in robots and provide somewhere for them to come together.

Some of the sessions, Dionne said, will be free or low-cost to help it be as accessible as possible.

A taster session is taking place at Loughborough University London, in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, on Saturday, April 1 from 10.30am.

A dedicated website icoderobots.com will go live later this week.