16-year-old Jared Lepora of Bristol, who has been an inspiration in the robotics community. He designed a fancy robotic hand made out of only Legos. During two years of diligent design work, he produced a workable model. This new robotic model is able to grasp disparate objects including fruits and cups. The pioneering design, which has four fingers with three joints each, is powered by just two motors through tendons.
Jared’s dad, Nathan Lepora, is a robotics prof at the University of Bristol. He was an important mentor in the development of the robotic hand. From that experience, they collaborated to draft an academic manuscript describing their work. This paper highlights both the practical applications and technological principles behind their design.
“My dad specializes in making advanced robot hands and I thought these principles were always really cool, so why not make it out of Lego?” Jared expressed about his inspiration for the project.
Jared’s impressive accomplishment landed him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Recently, he got invited to give a keynote talk at the Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2025 conference in Hangzhou, China. He went on to become the youngest ever speaker at the event. There, he studied in-depth with the world’s top authorities in the field of robotics. After his presentation, he had lunch with leading faculty and discussed what inspired him to build his invention.
Wouldn’t it be incredible if it could be a real Lego set for other kids. That would be exciting, Nathan Lepora said, underscoring his aspirations for what the Jared’s invention can become.
The Lego robotic hand shows some amazing ingenuity. It acts as a mentorship and pedagogical resource, motivating the future generation to take interest in the STEM fields of robotics and engineering. This adaptability of the hand has been most recently shown with the robot’s ability to grasp a variety of household objects.
Jared’s ambitious project has already drawn widespread media attention, culminating in a radio documentary by the BBC that followed Jared’s work and journey. As he continues to develop his skills and knowledge in robotics, the young inventor hopes to inspire others with a similar passion for technology.