Clinical Efficacy of Exoskeleton Assistance for Individuals Post-Stroke

Summary

An exoskeleton device is a robotic system designed to improve an individual's ability to move and perform tasks encountered in everyday situations. These devices consist of external rigid limb segments that assists humans through different body movements with the use of actuators. These devices are controlled by an onboard computer that determines the timing and magnitude of assistance deployed to the user. Exoskeleton controller performance is key to providing beneficial assistance that does not inhibit the user's movement. Preceding work will compare the benefit of personalized hip versus ankle joint exoskeleton assistance for improvement of post-stroke gait. It will combine exoskeleton technology with the user's movement feedback to improve wearable robotic assistance to an individual stroke survivor's gait pattern. For the clinical trial research covered under this protocol, the investigator will test various exoskeleton technologies with stroke survivors in real-world contexts, indoors and outdoors, and measure clinically meaningful outcomes and user perceptions regarding technology usability and adoption. The long-term goal is to deploy self-adaptive, adoptable exoskeletons for personalized assistance during community ambulation.

Conditions

• Stroke

Interventions

OTHER

Control

The stroke survivors will serve as their own control group. The participants will complete the required tasks without an exoskeleton device.

DEVICE

Hip Exoskeleton

The Georgia Tech Hip Exo is a wearable robotic device for hip extension/flexion assistance. This device will be used to study the lower limb movement and how to effectively assist users. It makes use of a responsive controller that considers information such as joint angles to understand the user's state and assists with the appropriate level of power accordingly.

DEVICE

Ankle Exoskeleton

The Dephy Exoboot is a lower limb exoskeleton which attaches to the user below the knee through a cuff at the proximal calf and a provided shoe. This investigational device is used to make it easier for able-bodied and impaired individuals to walk and run under a variety of conditions. The exoskeleton provides assistance at the ankle joint during movement. The purpose is to assist the user in lower limb movements such as ground level walking, climbing stairs/ramps, and sit-to-stand.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

  collaborator NIH

• Georgia Institute of Technology

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Aaron Young, PhD · Georgia Institute of Technology

• Greg Sawicki · Georgia Institute of Technology

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2027-01-01

Primary Completion

2028-12-31

Completion

2028-12-31

FDA Device

Yes

Countries

• United States

Study Locations