Evaluation of a Soft Elbow Exoskeleton and a Haptic Armband in Post-stroke and Parkinson's Disease Patients

Summary

This pilot feasibility study will evaluate a wearable soft elbow exosuit and a haptic forearm bracelet for upper-limb neurorehabilitation in people with stroke and Parkinson's disease. The soft elbow exosuit is designed to assist elbow flexion and extension during functional motor tasks while preserving comfort and natural movement, with the possibility of deploying vibrotactile stimuli. The haptic bracelet provides tactile and vibrotactile feedback to support sensorimotor engagement, movement guidance, and proprioceptive awareness.

The study will assess the feasibility, usability, comfort, acceptability, safety, and preliminary clinical impact of these devices in a real neurorehabilitation setting. Participants with stroke will be tested using either the soft elbow exosuit or the haptic bracelet, depending on their stage of recovery and residual upper-limb motor function. Participants with Parkinson's disease will be tested with the soft elbow exosuit combined with integrated haptic feedback, with specific interest in motor performance and tremor modulation.

Participants will undergo baseline clinical and functional assessment, followed by supervised experimental sessions involving upper-limb functional tasks such as reaching, grasping, releasing, pick-and-place exercises, elbow flexion-extension, forearm pronation-supination, and fine or gross motor activities. Sessions may be performed with and without device assistance. Non-invasive sensors, including inertial measurement units and electromyography, will be used to collect movement and muscle activity data. User experience will be assessed using standardized questionnaires addressing usability, satisfaction, perceived benefit, comfort, and musculoskeletal discomfort.

The study is intended to generate preliminary evidence on the safe and acceptable use of wearable soft robotic and haptic technologies in neurological rehabilitation and to inform the design of future larger clinical trials.

Conditions

• Stroke
• Parkinson Disease

Interventions

DEVICE

Wearable upper-limb rehabilitation devices

Participants will use non-invasive wearable devices designed to support upper-limb rehabilitation during supervised motor tasks. The intervention may include a soft elbow exosuit that assists elbow flexion and extension or a haptic forearm bracelet that provides tactile or vibrotactile feedback during task-oriented upper-limb exercises. The devices will be used during functional activities such as reaching, grasping, releasing, pick-and-place movements, elbow flexion-extension, and forearm pronation-supination. Sessions will be supervised by qualified clinical staff, and device use will be adapted to the participant's diagnosis, motor abilities, and protocol-defined experimental condition. The intervention is intended to evaluate feasibility, usability, comfort, safety, user experience, and preliminary effects on upper-limb motor performance.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna

  collaborator OTHER

• IRCCS San Raffaele Roma

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Francesco Infarinato, PhD · IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-30

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations