Sixteen-year-old Jared Lepora of Bristol recently made a name for himself after his exceptional robotics accomplishment received national attention. For the last two years, though, he spent all his free time developing a super-complex robotic hand, made entirely out of Lego. This groundbreaking project was made possible by the encouragement of his father, Nathan Lepora, a professor of robotics at the University of Bristol.
The robotic hand has only four fingers. All five fingers have three joints each, allowing the hand to grip both bulky and delicate items, such as a pill, fruit or a cup. Two motors power the function of the thumb and fingers through tendons. This simple design belies Jared’s profound command of engineering principles and robotics.
Together with his fierce determination, these qualities earned Jared a unique place among the academic luminaries. So, they invited him to give a keynote talk at the Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2025 conference slated for Hangzhou, China. At only 16 years old, he made history as the youngest speaker ever at this storied event.
As part of his speech, Jared shared a bit about what inspired him to create it, and the ideas that underpin it. He co-authored an academic paper on the robotic hand with his father. This accomplishment deepened their partnership in the field.
“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 explained. When asked what excites him most about robotics, all of this animated energy revealed his palpable optimism for the future that his work can create.
After his presentation, Jared was able to meet some of the leading professors in the field of robotics. Beyond drawing attention to his accomplishments, it is further opening doors to curiosity, collaboration, and learning as more people become aware.
We were captivated by Nathan Lepora’s exciting vision that won the Overall Excellence award. He told the BBC, “Wouldn’t it be incredible if it could be turned into a real Lego set that other kids could have. This vision illustrates a desire to inspire young minds to explore STEM fields through hands-on experiences.
