Improving Balance and Energetics of Walking Using a Hip Exoskeleton

Launched by NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY · Jul 1, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a robotic device called a hip exoskeleton, which is designed to help improve walking and balance in people who have had a stroke and those who have not. The researchers want to find out how to personalize the assistance provided by the exoskeleton, making it more effective for each individual. They believe that by using a method called reinforcement learning, they can adjust the device's support to reduce the effort needed to walk while also enhancing balance and overall walking performance.

To participate in this study, individuals must be between 18 and 64 years old and live in the United States. For those who have had a stroke, it's essential to have experienced the stroke within the past six months and be able to walk a certain distance without assistance. Participants can expect to wear the exoskeleton during walking tasks, and the study will help researchers understand how to make this technology work better for everyone. It's important to note that certain health conditions or physical limitations may prevent someone from participating, so potential volunteers will be screened carefully.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria for non-neurologically affected populations:
• • Between 18 and 64 years old
• • Live in the United States
• • Able to understand study requirements and sign an informed consent
• • Have full range of motion in your hip joint
• • Able to walk normally without any assistance.
• Exclusion Criteria for non-neurologically affected populations:
• • Cannot follow instructions or provide feedback due to cognitive or language limitations
• • Suffered from a stroke that affects balance or walking
• • Use an electronically controlled medical device, such as a pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, or drug pump
• • Pregnancy
• • Experience numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, pain, or paralysis in any part of your body
• • Cannot walk or balance without help from a person or a tool, such as a walker or cane
• • Limited movement in your hip or ankle
• • You have any skin-related allergies or irritation to adhesives
• • Have blood circulation, heart, metabolic, or cognitive disorders, including but not limited to: Peripheral vascular disease, Pitting edema, Heart disease, Diabetes (uncontrolled), Seizures, and Cognitive diagnoses that affect their ability to process information.
• Inclusion Criteria for subjects who suffered a stroke:
• • Between 18 and 64 years old
• • Live in the United States
• • Able to understand study requirements and sign an informed consent
• • Have weakness on one side of their body due to a stroke within the past 6 months
• • Have the doctor confirm that the subjects had a stroke within the past 6 months
• • Can walk without any assistance for at least 6 minutes and 1000 feet (a little less than a quarter-mile)
• • Can walk at a speed of 1 mile per hour
• • Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
• • Capable of safely stepping on stairs without an Ankle-Foot Orthosis but may use canes as needed
• Exclusion Criteria for subjects who suffered a stroke:
• • Cannot follow instructions or provide feedback due to cognitive, spatial awareness, and/or language limitations
• • Are pregnant
• • Cannot walk without an ankle-foot brace or a therapist's assistance
• • Cannot walk or balance without the help of a tool, such as a walker or cane
• • Have vision, balance, or reaching issues unrelated to stroke
• • Use an electronically controlled medical device, such as a pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, or drug pump
• • Have numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, or pain in any part of your body
• • Have any skin related allergies or irritation to adhesives
• • Have blood circulation, heart, metabolic, or cognitive disorders, including but not limited to: Peripheral vascular disease, Pitting edema, Heart disease, Diabetes (uncontrolled), and Seizures.