16-Year-Old Robotics Prodigy Graduates to Become Youngest PhD in US

Mike Wimmer says he wants to ‘have a positive impact on the world.’

Mike Wimmer, 16, graduated from Carolina University on May 3, 2025, becoming the youngest Ph.D. in the United States. Courtesy of Melissa Wimmer

He tinkered with his first iPad at the age of 18 months.

At 5 years old, he was coding.

After designing an AI program at age 10 to identify the specific make and model of his Hot Wheels toy cars, his parents received a call from the Pentagon requesting his expertise.

His whole life, Mike Wimmer, from Salisbury, North Carolina, has been shattering age barriers and innovating in the fields of robotics and technology.

This month, Wimmer, now a 16-year-old with a newly minted driver’s license and a love for video-game racing, graduated from Carolina University to become the youngest person in the United States to earn a Ph.D.

Mike Wimmer, 16, graduated alongside classmates at Carolina University on May 3 and became the youngest person in the United States to earn a Ph.D. Courtesy of Melissa Wimmer

Standing before the crowd at his graduation ceremony, donning cap and gown, Wimmer spurred his cohorts toward innovation—his chosen field.

Speaking of his own life story and inspiration, he quoted the American abolitionist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

“Consider history’s game-changers,” Wimmer said. “The Wright brothers, mocked for defying physics; Steve Jobs, laughed at for envisioning a computer in every home; Elon Musk, ridiculed for aiming at Mars.”

“However, innovation is not about silencing critics; it is about showing them what is possible,” he added.

Upon stepping down from the stage, he walked over to an indistinguishable object covered in black cloth and, removing the cloth, unveiled a newly manufactured, remote-controlled underwater vehicle of his own design.

Mike Wimmer unveils the ReefSweeper during his speech at his graduation ceremony. Courtesy of Melissa Wimmer

He said the AI-run vehicle, called a ReefSweeper, would help rid the Atlantic Ocean of lionfish, an invasive species that has been decimating coral reef habitats unchecked. The lionfish is impervious to nets and traps and lurks too deep for divers to reach, but the ReefSweeper can stand the pressures of those depths. It can spear lionfish remotely with the help of AI technology.

Then Wimmer shared a vision for the future.

“This is not just a breakthrough, it’s a commercially viable platform to safeguard coral reefs and coastal communities, launching a new era in underwater technology,” he said.

Speaking to The Epoch Times before the graduation ceremony, Wimmer unpacked his vision in greater depth. “We can’t do it with just one, so it’s getting thousands of these things out there,” he said. “That’s kind of my next step, as well as to begin manufacturing these.”

The economic viability of his venture is bolstered by the delicious white meat of the lionfish, for one, he said. Additionally, its venom is being used for Alzheimer’s and cancer research, while leather made from the fish is useful for making cowboy boots and jewelry.

“There’s many revenue streams with this that really haven’t been unlocked yet, so this is really the chance to do so,” Wimmer said.

Mike Wimmer receiving accolades as a boy and today. Courtesy of Melissa Wimmer

Wimmer’s latest underwater gambit is one in series of robotics and AI startups under his belt. He’s been building companies since age 10, including Next Era Innovations.

“That’s when I began doing contract work with the United States Special Operations Command [USSOCOM],” he said, adding that he designed an AI system to tell apart his Hot Wheels cars, and the military wanted that ability.

“The uniqueness of it was, all the cars are red, and I was also wearing a red shirt, trying to be able to trick it as much as possible,” he explained. He used AI to distinguish a Ferrari from a Ford based on shape alone. A video recording of the project went viral and was seen by a commander, who called his parents.

“Their first response was, ‘You do know he’s 10, right?’ And he said, ‘Yes, but he has a subject matter expertise we need,’” Wimmer said. “So two weeks later I was at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.”

The joint effort with USSOCOM will continue, he says, even as his new project gets up and running. He didn’t say what he'd be doing for the military; that’s confidential.

Asked what drove him to become the youngest Ph.D. in America, he said he’s “always wanted to learn” and “learn the how any why of how stuff works.”

Since he was handed his first iPad at 18 months, a sense of wonder sparked his mind. From coding in kindergarten, he went on to master the full gamut of programming languages.

“I always had an innovative mindset and the idea to want to solve challenges with new technologies,” he said, adding that he pushed himself “to go even farther, even faster, even better.” He wants his work to “have a positive impact on the world.”

Mike Wimmer has always loved cars video-game racing. Courtesy of Melissa Wimmer

This thirst for knowledge translated into academic success. At 14, he graduated with a bachelors in computer science, and at 15, he earned a masters in data science and his MBA. Despite a burdensome workload this year, he pushed though and submitted the ReefSweeper with his dissertation to clinch his Ph.D.

Wimmer is also a a MENSA member.

So, with all his achievements, when does he ever get to just be a 16-year-old?

Well, he’s a “huge a car guy,” he said.

To clear his mind, he drives a racing simulator at home and races friends online. His own simulation driver’s seat has a clutch, gas pedal, steering wheel, and shifter. He drifts around corners like a pro.

Wimmer also owns a real car. For all his hard work, he awarded himself a sports car.

“It’s a 2023 70th Anniversary Corvette—a one-year limited edition, white pearl color,” he said.

New driver’s license in hand, he’s been hitting the road every chance he gets.