Effects of Active Upper-Limb Exoskeleton Training in Simulated Hyper-Gravity on Fine Motor Performance, Brain-Muscle Connectivity, Cardiovascular System and Stress Responses in Real Hyper-Gravity (EGOS)

Effects of Active Upper-Limb Exoskeleton Training in Simulated Hyper-Gravity on Fine Motor Performance, Brain-Muscle Connectivity, Cardiovascular System and Stress Responses in Real Hyper-Gravity: the EGOS Pilot Study.

The aim of the study presented here is to assess the effects of exoskeleton training on performance in a real hypergravity situation. In particular, it will analyze fine motor control, autonomic nervous system regulation and metabolic responses. To this end, the study will compare two groups during a pointing exercise in a centrifuge (hypergravity). One group will have been trained to do this exercise using an exoskeleton, while the other will have been familiarized with the task without the exoskeleton. It will assess whether the exoskeleton can be an effective and accessible training tool for astronauts.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Motor Learning and Physiological Adaptation
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Training with an exoskeleton

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Occitanie
    • Toulouse, Occitanie, France, 31400
      • Medes - Imps

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Maximum weight of 90 kg
• Maximum sitting butt-to-shoulder distance of 70 cm
• Certified as healthy by a comprehensive clinical assessment
• Normal or corrected to normal vision
• Right-handed tested with Edinburgh-Handedness-Inventory-Test (≥6th percentile, on https://www.brainmapping.org/shared/Edinburgh.php)
• Non smokers
• No alcohol or drug dependence, no medical treatment on a regular basis
• Affiliated to a Social Security system and, for non-French resident, holding a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).
• Free of any engagement during the study
• Test subjects must be able to understand and speak English
• Who agreed to take part in the study and signed the informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Left-handed tested with Edinburgh-Handedness-Inventory-Test (<6th percentile)
• Subjects with experience in experiments on a short arm human centrifuge or under real hyper-gravity
• Non-tolerance to the centrifugation
• Any history or presence of clinically relevant chronic disease
• Refusal to give permission to contact his general practitioner,
• Subject who, in the judgment of the investigator, is likely to be non-compliant during the study, or unable to cooperate because of a language problem or poor mental development,
• Subject in the exclusion period of a clinical research,
• Subject who has received more than 6000 Euros within 12 months for being a research subject,
• Subject who cannot be contacted in case of emergency,
• Vulnerable people according to law "Code de la Santé Publique" (L1121-5 to L1121-8)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; Untrained group
Experimental: Trained; Trained with the exoskeleton	Other: Training with an exoskeleton; Training to perform an aiming task under simulated hypergravity via an exoskeleton

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Task performance (movement accuracy)	Task performance (movement accuracy) is defined as the difference between the position touched on the screen and the position of the displayed target. The participants will be required to perform an aiming movement task using their right arm, directed toward a target.The participants will need to point to the center of the displayed target.	From familiarisation sessions (Day 1 to Day 4) to testing day at Day 5.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
• Collaborators: MEDES Institut de Médecine et de Physiologie Spatiales, Toulouse

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 27, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 27, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): January 27, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 25, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 10, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 12, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 4, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 23-318; ID-RCB Number: 2025-A01589-40 (Other Identifier: ANSM)

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