Analysis·4 min read
UC Berkeley Opens Soft Robotics Clinic for Assistive Devices
By Jordan Vale
Image: Image courtesy of UC Berkeley via Unsplash
The clinic houses rapid prototyping tools for inflatable grippers, wearable exosleeves and haptic feedback gloves. Clinicians feed patient goals into a design portal, and research teams iterate weekly to dial in comfort and motion range.
Early beneficiaries include stroke patients regaining fine motor skills and kids with cerebral palsy using lightweight manipulators. The clinic also trains community makerspaces to fabricate low-cost versions using open-source plans.
Funding comes from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and private donors focused on accessibility. UC Berkeley aims to publish outcome data so insurers consider reimbursing soft robotic therapies.
- UC Berkeley opens soft robotics clinicAccessed NOV 06, 2025
- Assistive robotics go mainstream with clinic modelAccessed NOV 06, 2025