Pilot Trial of Robotic Hand Therapy After Stroke

July 9, 2026 updated by: Johanne Higgins, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

Robotic-Assisted Hand Therapy for Neurorehabilitation in Adults With Hand Sensorimotor Impairments Following a Stroke: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

This pilot study will test whether the GRIP program-a soft robotic glove with virtual-reality training-can improve hand and arm function in adults undergoing inpatient rehabilitation after a recent stroke. About 20 participants will be randomly assigned to either the GRIP program or action-observation therapy with education, in addition to usual care. The study will assess motor improvement, safety, and acceptability over approximately six weeks.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to determine whether the Glove for Rehabilitation and Interactive Practice (GRIP) program can help improve hand and arm movement in adults who have difficulty using their hand after a recent stroke. The GRIP program uses a soft robotic glove and a virtual reality training platform. It is added to the usual rehabilitation care that participants already receive.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

  • Does the GRIP program help improve hand and arm movement?
  • Is the GRIP program safe?
  • Do participants find the GRIP program acceptable, comfortable, and engaging? (qualitatively).

Researchers will compare the Glove for Rehabilitation and Interactive Practice (GRIP) program with action-observation therapy and education. Action-observation therapy means watching videos of hand movements and then practicing the same movements. Both groups will also receive their usual rehabilitation care. This study will include about 20 adults who are in an inpatient rehabilitation program after a stroke and who have difficulty using their hand.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Phase

  • 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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3S 2J4
        • Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Katherine Samuel, Master's degree
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Marika Demers, PhD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Johanne Higgins, PhD

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • First unilateral stroke (<6-month post-stroke at enrollment)
  • ≥18 years old
  • Hand sensorimotor impairments
  • Able to understand and follow a two-step instruction
  • Admitted to the rehabilitation center and participating in the stroke program

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe spasticity (score ≥3 on the Modified Ashworth Scale)
  • Unilateral spatial neglect
  • Moderate to severe hand pain
  • Significant motor impairment of the fingers (active finger flexion/extension less than 10°)
  • Any medical condition that may interfere with participation

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Glove for Rehabilitation and Interactive Practice (GRIP) program
10 participants will be randomly assigned to this group.
Device: robotic-assisted hand therapy
Participants will receive the GRIP program in addition to usual rehabilitation care. The program uses a soft robotic glove worn on the affected hand together with a non-immersive virtual-reality system that displays hand exercises and a virtual hand that moves with the participant's real movements. The glove can provide assistance or resistance to support grasping practice and strengthening. Training focuses on repeated grasping tasks and strategies to increase use of the affected hand in daily activities. The program includes ten supervised 30-minute sessions over two weeks.
Other Names:
  • hand exosqueleton coupled with a virtual reality program
Active Comparator: Action-Observation Therapy (AOT) and Education
10 participants will be randomly assigned to this group.
Behavioral: Action-observation therapy & Education
Participants will receive usual rehabilitation care plus action-observation therapy (AOT). They will complete ten self-directed 30-minute AOT sessions over two weeks. Each session consists of repeated cycles of watching short videos of hand movements and then attempting to reproduce those movements with the affected hand. Videos will match the grasp types practiced in the intervention arm. Participants will also attend three individual education sessions on post-stroke arm and hand recovery, including strategies to increase use of the affected hand in daily activities.
Other Names:
  • Education
  • Action-Observation Therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity (FMA-UE)
Time Frame: At enrollment , post-intervention (at 2 weeks), and 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
It is a stroke-specific, performance-based impairment index designed to measure upper extremity motor recovery after stroke.
At enrollment , post-intervention (at 2 weeks), and 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Action Research Arm Test
Time Frame: At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
Observational measure that examines upper limb functional recovery
At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Box and Blocks
Time Frame: At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
Unilateral gross manual dexterity
At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
Nine-Hole Peg Test
Time Frame: At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
Fine manual dexterity
At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
ABILHAND questionnaire
Time Frame: At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
Semi-structured item-response questionnaire that measures manual ability according to an individual's perceived difficulty performing daily bimanual tasks.
At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
Hand dynamometer
Time Frame: At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow up (at 6 weeks)
Grip strength measurement
At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow up (at 6 weeks)
Pinch gauge
Time Frame: At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
To measure 2-finger pinch, 3-finger pinch and lateral pinch
At enrollment, post-intervention (at 2 weeks), 1 month follow-up (at 6 weeks)
Semi-structured interview with the GRIP group
Time Frame: Post-intervention (at 2 weeks).
A qualitative semi-structured interview on the satisfaction with the intervention, perceived benefits, tolerance and engagement
Post-intervention (at 2 weeks).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

Collaborators

National Research Council, Canada

Investigators

  • Study Director: Johanne Higgins, PhD, Université de Montréal, CRIR
  • Study Director: Marika Demers, PhD, Université de Montréal, CRIR

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 (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 9, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026-2490

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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