Sixteen-year-old Jared Lepora from Bristol has recently been in the news for winning FIRST’s high school level competition with his robot. In only two years, he created and developed a highly sensitive, adaptive robotic hand constructed exclusively from Lego. His work on this groundbreaking project is a testament to his phenomenal technical ability. It shows his love for robotics, inspired by his father, Nathan Lepora, professor of robotics at the University of Bristol.
Jared’s robotic hand has 4 fingers, each with 3 joints, giving him anatomical joint movement. Using two high-torque motors, his device controls the tendons around a pair of soft fingers. This gives it complete dexterity to grasp diverse objects as small as fruits and cups. Three of the fingers are additionally supercharged with lanyards, widening their possibilities and capabilities.
Jared’s perseverance finally paid off, and he was invited to attend the Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2025 conference. There, in Hangzhou, China, he earned the distinction of being the youngest speaker with great pride. His keynote address was an inspiring exploration of the design process and practical applications for his innovative robotic hand. He was invited to present after working with his dad on an academic paper that laid out the project in detail.
“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 regarding his motivation for the project.
Nathan Lepora said he was proud of his son’s accomplishments so far and, as a parent, expressed hopes that the robotic hand would find a future. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if it could be a proper Lego set for other children? That would be exciting,” he stated, envisioning a broader impact on young aspiring engineers.
Jared’s project is a testament to the deep relationship between father and son. Nathan was very hands-on, and he led Jared through the entire production process, every step of the way. “And he had the idea of making one out of Lego…maybe he’ll become my boss someday,” Nathan joked, reflecting on Jared’s potential in the field.
