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Making tactile robots work

I lead the Dexterous Robotics group at the University of Bristol, developing robotic touch and dexterous manipulation.

Robot hand tracks an orange object held by a person. Grasp-shear control → Robot hand rotates a red object within its grasp. In-hand rotation →
Tactile robot gripper spreads material over a curved surface. Tool manipulation
Two robot arms grasp the bottle cap, unscrew it and lift it clear of the bottle. Unscrewing → Robot uses a tactile fingertip to push different objects across a blue surface. Goal-driven pushing → Tactile robot gripper picks up a plug, carries it to the socket and completes the insertion. Plug insertion → Tactile robot follows a blue block moved by a person. Object tracking → Two robot arms track and hold a blue ball, then release it onto the mat. Bimanual tracking →
Tactile robot hand manipulates different objects, with the fingertip marker images shown alongside. In-hand manipulation
Tactile robot hand detects slip and stabilizes its grasp on different objects. Slip detection → Two stacked demonstrations show a tactile sensor following a mannequin head surface and the rim of a container. Surface & edge following →
Robot hand reorients a coloured cube using vision and touch, with the target shape shown at the top left. Visuo-tactile reorientation

Recent highlights

Selected research

Tactile Robotics: Past and Future

Nathan Lepora · 2026 · International Journal of Robotics Research · Published paper

A historical perspective on robotic touch, connecting its recurring challenges with opportunities for future robot dexterity.

Pose-and-shear-based tactile servoing

John Lloyd & Nathan Lepora · 2024 · International Journal of Robotics Research

Contact pose and shear guide robots as they track objects, follow surfaces and manipulate objects through touch.

View all publications →

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