Sixteen-year-old Jared Lepora from Bristol has recently garnered international attention for his inventive Lego-built robotic hand. Incredibly, this ambitious project was almost two years in the making. It exemplifies his creativity and commitment to furthering the field of robotics.
The robotic hand has four fingers, each of them with three joints that give it a high degree of freedom. In order to function, the hand is driven by two motors that use tendons to recreate natural motion. This sliding construction allows the hand to grasp multiple items, from different fruits to a cup, showcasing its usefulness in the real world.
Jared had amazing support and direction from his father, Nathan Lepora. As a professor of robotics at the University of Bristol, Nathan was key to Jared’s development process. Their collaboration led to an academic paper, which described the completed design and function of the robotic hand along with bio-media.
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. His passion for robotics shines through in the thoughtfulness of his work and the creativity of his approach.
Most recently, Jared wowed listeners as the keynote at the Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2025 conference in Hangzhou, China. He made history as the youngest speaker to address this prominent event. There, he presented his project to a global audience, showcasing not only his technical skills but his ability to communicate complex ideas effectively.
Nathan couldn’t help but brag on his son’s accomplishments. Wouldn’t it be cool if it could be a real children’s Lego set like this, too! Oh man, then that would be cool!” He said that. This ambition is in line with Jared’s desire to spark the interest of future inventors with simple to use tools such as Lego.
Jared Lepora aims to make robotics more approachable for children by developing a product that can be replicated and enjoyed by others. He hopes that one day children, by following a curriculum he’s developing, will be able to assemble their own robotic hands from Legos.
