16-year-old Jared Lepora of Bristol recently celebrated the success of his build and programming talents that have garnered national attention. After about two years of work, he was able to use the piece to control an ambitious, fully articulated Lego robotic hand. This unique robot hand is equipped with four fingers that provide exceptional maneuverability. Every finger has three joints and is actuated by just two motors through tendon-driven architecture.
Jared’s journey into robotics was significantly aided by his father, Nathan Lepora, a professor of robotics at the University of Bristol. Their partnership went deeper than the physical building of the robotic device. Together, they co-authored an academic paper that detailed design and the capabilities of the cool robotic hand. Their work was featured as a paper presentation at the Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2025 conference in Hangzhou, China. As the youngest of the 10 invited speakers, Jared lit up the event. Not only did he impressively show off his invention, but Agustin’s passion for robotics shined through.
During his TED talk, Jared illuminated what inspired him to create the project. “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?” he stated. He innovatively merged fun with engineering prowess. This creative methodology resulted in a highly flexible tool, capable of understanding pliable objects like fruit or cups.
As Nathan Lepora said, “We hope that this project will help inspire other young inventors.” Wouldn’t it be amazing if it could be a proper Lego set for other children, that would be exciting,” he remarked. But he dreams bigger than individual achievements. His goal with the robotics product is to inspire and cultivate learning and creativity in kids with robotics.
During the IROS conference, Jared gave his talk donning his new school blazer with pride. Beyond that, he had the opportunity to meet the accomplished professor widely credited with starting the field. This first meeting was a high point for the budding young innovator, solidifying his dreams to enter the field of robotics.
