Sixteen-year-old Jared Lepora from Bristol has captured the attention of the robotics community with his innovative creation: a functional robotic hand built entirely from Lego. During the last two-year span, Lepora spent thousands of hours meticulously designing and building the hand. It has four fingers, and each finger is fitted with a complex of three joints. Jared recently showcased the project at the Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2025 conference in Hangzhou, China. His articulate and passionate presentation brought even more recognition to the project, and he was notable as the youngest speaker at that event.
Assisted by his father, Nathan Lepora, a professor of robotics at the University of Bristol, Jared’s project combines creativity with engineering principles. The robotic hand operates using two motors that drive tendons, allowing it to pick up a variety of objects, including fruits and cups. This functionality is another great example of Jared’s creativity, and the possibilities for teaching tools that can come with robotics.
My dad invented some of the most sophisticated robot hands. I was always inspired by those principles, so I wanted to create one of them with Lego! As Jared connected the dots. It’s evident that his passion for robotics and engineering run deep, with ingenuity pouring out of every creation. He is committed to having his father teach him.
At the IROS conference, Jared was exposed to top producing professors and industry experts that are at the forefront of robotics and innovation. His project really caught attention for another reason — his use of construction material. Perhaps more importantly, it highlighted the need for creativity and increased accessibility in STEM education. Nathan Lepora expressed hope that their work could inspire other young innovators: “Wouldn’t it be amazing if it could be a proper Lego set for other children? That would be exciting.”
Jared and Nathan continued working together to generate an academic paper that describes their design process and resultant findings. This work is a testament to their commitment to extending the frontiers of knowledge in the field of robotics. The partnership has been a wonderful success, winning the creative mentorship can produce amazing results with inspiring emerging talent.