Our 6 Favorite YouTube Channels for Engineering Fanatics

If you’ve been searching for your dose of engineering bites, we’ve compiled the perfect list for you. Being on this page, you’ve probably been asking yourself, what are the best engineering channels out there? YouTube is overflowing with all sorts of innovative creators… and, as we know, cute cat compilations. Clearly, it can be difficult to find the pages worth watching. This is why we combed through the mush and gush to find you the ones that truly deserve your attention. 

So, grab a caffeinated beverage and join us on this journey as we unveil the crème de la crème of channels to indulge your inner whiz.

Mark Rober

As one user writes under his most popular video of how to skin a watermelon, “this man is literally the definition of a cool uncle.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

As a former NASA engineer, Mark Rober’s experience in the realm of engineering is quite literally out of this world. During seven of his nine years with NASA, he worked on the Curiosity Rover and has since posted a video detailing his experience with the Perseverance Rover. Mark Rober’s channel is the most kid-friendly of the bunch as he even launches buildable toys each month to teach children to “think like engineers.” 

Unnecessary Inventions 

The self-proclaimed “evil genius,” Matty Benedetto, has dedicated his past three years to designing and prototyping inventions to solve problems that don’t exist. While this might not sound particularly productive, some subscribers could argue that some of his inventions have surprisingly (and quite possibly coincidentally) proven functional. 

His most popular video follows Benedetto after discovering that Walmart had been selling knockoffs of his inventions, such as his Rage Quit Protector. Stretching the bounds of mechanical engineering, Benedetto is changing the industry… one gadget at a time. 

Stuff Made Here

At the start of his YouTube video titled “Moving hoop won’t let you miss,” Shane Wighton expresses his discontent with not being able to sink the ball into the basket. To solve this, he immediately works at designing a hoop to move wherever the ball goes, making missing impossible. 

With over 27 million views, this is only one of the many videos that attest to his engineering genius. With his background working at Formlabs, a 3D printing company, Wighton is one of the only creators on YouTube to blend software engineering with mechanical engineering. 

Plus, his overlay of dramatic background music gives each video that sense of impending doom… which is actually sort of addicting. 

rctestflight

Next up we have Daniel Riley, host of rctestflight. As the name suggests, this channel specializes in remote control airplanes. 

In one of his most recent videos, Riley stumbled upon a broken Dyson vacuum on the side of the road. Brace yourselves, Dyson owners! Instead of discarding it, he decided to take it apart and repurpose the motor for a unique project. Using the vacuums motor, he ingeniously launched a homemade plane.

But wait! His expertise doesn’t cease there. Past projects have included building the world’s brightest flashlight at 1000W of LEDs and mowing his lawn with a laser. It’s safe to say that Riley may well be our generation’s Renaissance man of engineering. 

Hacksmith Industries

James Hobson, of Hacksmith Industries, is taking “turning dreams into reality” to a whole new level with his YouTube channel. 

After leaving his full-time job as an engineer and product developer, Hobson pivoted to making real working prototypes of the fictional gadgets we see in movies, video games, and comics. From lightsabers to Captain America’s electromagnet shield, Hobson has quickly become a pioneer in bringing dreamscapes to life. 

Who could have imagined we would witness a real-life Star Wars lightsaber in this lifetime? If you’re an engineer with a passion for blending fiction with reality, Hobson might just be the creator for you.

Smarter Every Day

Former U.S. government civil servant, Destin Sandlin, began posting educational videos in 2007 and has since amassed over 11 million subscribers. While his episodes often relate to his background in flight and space, he has certainly dabbled in the physics of potato guns and the effects of perfect momentum transfers as well. 

Recently, he recreated history by showing what would happen if he made the impossible possible: two bullets colliding with complete precision. With an abundance of caution (and trial and error), Sandlin was able to record the perfect shot.

There you have it! This concludes our list of the best engineering channels available on YouTube. 

Onshape is thrilled to have its own Creator Program to support content creators and educate the engineering community. Both existing and new YouTube creatives are encouraged to apply by filling out the form online for a chance to be sponsored.