# Barrett Ames (CTO / REK)

- Show: [Just Gonna Send It](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it)
- Published: 2026-05-27
- Length: 55m
- Episode: 16
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek

## Summary

Barrett Ames, CTO of REK and former NASA researcher, discusses his journey from building pirate-deterrent drones to working on the Valkyrie and Robonaut 2 projects, and his current work with REK, a humanoid robot fighting league. He explains how his experience at Bot Built, which focused on automating home construction, led to the realization that competition and destruction accelerate robotics innovation. Ames details the psychological appeal of robot combat, inspired by the movie Real Steel, and the technical challenges of sourcing parts and building durable humanoids for entertainment. The conversation covers his educational background at Cornell and Duke, his time at NASA, and the strategic decisions behind launching REK to seed the humanoid market.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=0) Introduction: Barrett Ames and REK
- [2:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=146) Early Life, Robot Camp, and First Robotics
- [10:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=631) Cornell Education and Custom Robotics Degree
- [18:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=1091) First Startup: Anti-Piracy Drone
- [23:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=1405) NASA: Valkyrie and Robonaut 2
- [34:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=2096) Bot Built: Automating Home Construction
- [45:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=2704) REK: Humanoid Robot Fighting League
- [53:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-27-barrett-ames-cto-rek#t=3227) Advice for Builders and Entrepreneurs

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- REK (company)
- Bot Built (company)
- NASA (company)
- Valkyrie (product)
- Robonaut 2 (product)
- Cornell (other)
- Duke (other)
- Y Combinator (company)
- Real Steel (product)
- benchmark.io (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [From Combat to Space: Mike LeBlanc on Humanoid Robotics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2025-12-05-from-combat-to-space-mike-leblanc-on-humanoid-robotics) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [The Robotics Rundown: AI Agents, Secondary Markets & the Future of Construction](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/built-2-scale/2025-04-11-the-robotics-rundown-ai-agents-secondary-markets-the-future-of-construction) (Built 2 Scale)
- [Episode 109: Building robots at home - Dan Nicholson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-14-episode-109-building-robots-at-home-dan-nicholson) (Robot Talk)
- [The Evolution of RE2 Robotics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-04-08-the-evolution-of-re2-robotics) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [060 - The Brie List](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2022-08-13-060-the-brie-list) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)

## Citing this page

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