Maria del Mar Cortes

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Dr. Maria del Mar Cortes is a leading researcher in rehabilitation robotics, with a primary focus on developing soft, high-force exoskeletons to restore hand function for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke. Her most cited work, "A Soft High Force Hand Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation and Assistance of Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke Individuals" (2019), directly confronts the critical trade-off between device power and ergonomic portability in assistive exoskeletons. By pioneering soft robotic designs that deliver substantial force without sacrificing comfort or wearability, Dr. Cortes has advanced a new class of rehabilitation tools that are both clinically effective and practical for daily use. Her research addresses a profound need for manipulation capability in patients with severe motor impairments, bridging the gap between high-performance actuation and user-friendly, lightweight systems. With her work garnering growing attention (5 citations on this key paper), Dr. Cortes is establishing herself as a key innovator in neurorehabilitation engineering, offering tangible solutions that empower individuals to regain independence and quality of life through smarter, softer, and stronger robotic assistance.