Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Tiffany Hertzell is a leading researcher in soft robotics and rehabilitation engineering, with a focus on developing wearable assistive technologies for human locomotion. Her major contributions center on the design and validation of the Soft Robotic Ankle-Foot Orthosis (SR-AFO) exosuit, a novel sock-like garment fabricated from compliant fabrics that uses pneumatically powered soft actuators to provide gait assistance. Her pioneering work, including the highly cited 2020 paper "Toward A Soft Robotic Ankle-Foot Orthosis (SR-AFO) Exosuit for Human Locomotion" (39 citations), demonstrates how soft robotics can aid plantarflexion during late stance, offering new hope for individuals with irregular gaits due to stroke or injury. Hertzell further advanced the field with her 2022 study on a multi-degrees-of-freedom SR-AFO (21 citations), which included a pilot human study, and the development of the Multi-material Actuator for Variable Stiffness (MAVS) for lateral ankle support. Her work bridges cutting-edge soft actuator design with practical rehabilitation needs, making her a key figure in the growing intersection of robotics and clinical therapy.