LARA: Use of JACO2 Controlled by Joystick or by Voice Control System, in Muscular Dystrophy

March 16, 2020 updated by: IRCCS Eugenio Medea
As part of the EMPATIA @ Lecco project, task 2.9 and task 4.5 respectively provide for the refinement and testing of robotic solutions on the market oriented towards patient empowerment. Within the LARA project, the JACO2 mechanical arm (Kinova Technology, Montreal, QC, Canada), a medical device, which can perform some functions as if it were the subject's arm, will be tested. JACO2 can be controlled by joystick, supplied with the system, or by voice control system, developed by CNR-ITIA to allow use even for those with severe strength impairments. The trial will involve patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD), Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD), congenital and Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSH) over the age of 10 years. In literature of the last decade we find evidence of social and personal benefits deriving from the use of assistive mechanical arms in daily life activities by patients with disabilities due to neuromuscular diseases. The results indicate improved quality of life, greater self-esteem and greater integration into society. In addition to the benefits for the person, it has been shown that the introduction of assistive technologies in the life of patients can lead to potential savings on direct and indirect costs of National Health Services. Assistive robotic arms have a potential user base of approximately 150,000 people only in the United States of America. This population includes subjects who have partially lost the function of the upper limb due to degenerative diseases or because of spinal cord injuries or infantile cerebral palsy. The number of potential users could increase by improving the usability of these systems that, at the moment, still require a certain functionality of the upper limb, in general, and of the hand, in particular. It is in fact known that the introduction of assistive technologies in daily life is not limited so much by the fact that patients do not accept or profit from them, but rather by the actual possibility of using them effectively. Therefore, a customization of the functionality of the devices based on needs and wishes of the patients alongside an improvement in their usability would lead to an increase in potential users. It is for this reason that usability, together with safety, has become one of the most studied topics in assistive robotics. In the case of assistive robotic manipulators, usability problems often concern their control which, even today, takes place through the use of joysticks that require fine motor skills in the hand. In fact, being systems with multiple degrees of freedom, that is, equipped with different segments that can translate (or rotate) in different directions, different buttons are integrated in the control joysticks in addition to the classic lever with knob. From this emerges the need to develop alternative joystick control methods that do not involve the use of the hand.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • LC
      • Bosisio Parini, LC, Italy, 23842
        • IRCCS Eugenio Medea

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

10 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Availability by the patient and /or those who take care of him/her to sign the informed consent
  • Defined diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy (Duchenne, Becker, Limb Girdle type 2, Facioscapulohumeral and congenital)
  • Use of the wheelchair as a mean of movement
  • Weakness in the muscular districts of the shoulder girdle and of proximal upper limb detected by MRC scale (Medical Research Council) between 0 and 3
  • Cognitive skills that allow understanding and management of robot
  • Aged over 10 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of important comorbidities (epilepsy, 24/24 hours dependence on non-invasive or invasive ventilotherapy)
  • Behavioral and psychiatric disorders (e.g., emotional problems, depression)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Motor control
Device: JACO2
Performing tasks using joystick control
Experimental: Vocal control
Device: JACO2
Performing tasks using joystick control
Device: VOCAL CONTROL
Performing tasks using vocal control

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Usability of the device (System Usability Scale)
Time Frame: immediately after application of the device
The main outcome measure is the System Usability Scale (SUS), a validated questionnaire that measures the usability of a device, during a single experimental session, lasting no more than one hour.
immediately after application of the device

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Execution Time
Time Frame: immediately after application of the device
Measurements of the time for tasks execution through the single experimental session
immediately after application of the device
Usefulness of the device (Likert scale)
Time Frame: immediately after application of the device
An ad hoc questionnaire (with a Likert score from 0 to 5) for the subjective evaluation of the tasks for which the robot is useful through the single experimental session
immediately after application of the device

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
IRCCS Eugenio Medea

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 15, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 15, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 25, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 16, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 18, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 18, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 16, 2020

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 582

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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