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Development of a Soft Robotic Device for Rehabilitation and Assistance of the Upper Limb for People With Neurological Disorders (FRONTIER)

1 août 2026 mis à jour par: PIETRO MORTINI, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele

FRONTIER - Development of a Soft Robotic Device for Rehabilitation and Assistance of the Upper Limb for People With Neurological Disorders.

Development of a soft robotic device for rehabilitation and assistance of the upper limb for people with neurological disorders (FRONTIER)

Aperçu de l'étude

Statut

Pas encore de recrutement

Intervention / Traitement

Description détaillée

Wearable robotics is a rapidly expanding field, with robotic devices increasingly being explored and integrated into neurorehabilitation practice. Robotic exoskeletons based on motor learning principles have been introduced to support rehabilitation interventions and are available in a wide range of configurations, including soft or rigid architectures, systems with single or multiple degrees of freedom, and devices targeting either the upper or lower limbs.

In this context, FRONTIER aims to develop, integrate, and evaluate a soft robotic exoskeleton designed to support upper-limb motor function in individuals with chronic neurological impairments resulting from acquired brain injury (ABI). The device is intended to assist both isolated and coordinated multi-joint movements involving proximal upper-limb segments, including the shoulder and elbow, and distal segments, including the hand.

The primary objective of FRONTIER is to evaluate the clinical usability of the soft robotic exoskeleton prototype, which integrates existing robotic modules, and to support the development of synergistic control algorithms coordinating assistance across multiple upper-limb joints. The study will evaluate the usability, safety, and acceptability of the system during a single testing session in a clinical rehabilitation setting. The findings will provide preliminary information to guide further development and future evaluation of the device in neurorehabilitation.

Type d'étude

Interventionnel

Inscription (Estimé)

20

Phase

  • N'est pas applicable

Contacts et emplacements

Cette section fournit les coordonnées de ceux qui mènent l'étude et des informations sur le lieu où cette étude est menée.

Coordonnées de l'étude

Lieux d'étude

    • Milan
      • Milan, Milan, Italie, 20132
        • IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele
        • Contact:

Critères de participation

Les chercheurs recherchent des personnes qui correspondent à une certaine description, appelée critères d'éligibilité. Certains exemples de ces critères sont l'état de santé général d'une personne ou des traitements antérieurs.

Critère d'éligibilité

Âges éligibles pour étudier

  • Adulte
  • Adulte plus âgé

Accepte les volontaires sains

Oui

La description

Inclusion Criteria:

Healthy volunteers:

  • Male and female participants
  • Age ≥ 18 and ≤ 80 years
  • Absence of neurological, neuromuscular, or orthopedic conditions that may affect upper-limb use
  • Willingness to comply with study procedures and to sign the informed consent form
  • Ability to understand and sign the informed consent form

Patients:

  • Male and female participants
  • Age ≥ 18 and ≤ 80 years
  • Clinical diagnosis of acquired brain injury (ABI), in the chronic phase (≥ 6 months after the event)
  • Persistent upper-limb motor impairment
  • Medically stable condition and ability to sit upright or stand for the duration of the testing session
  • Willingness to participate in the study intervention
  • Ability to understand and sign the informed consent form
  • Preserved cognitive function, assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE ≥ 24/30)

Exclusion Criteria:

Healthy volunteers:

  • Age < 18 or > 80 years
  • Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the study period

Patients:

  • Age < 18 or > 80 years
  • Cognitive impairment interfering with the understanding of the tasks or study protocol, assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE < 24/30)
  • Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the study period

Plan d'étude

Cette section fournit des détails sur le plan d'étude, y compris la façon dont l'étude est conçue et ce que l'étude mesure.

Comment l'étude est-elle conçue ?

Détails de conception

  • Objectif principal: Faisabilité de l'appareil
  • Répartition: N / A
  • Modèle interventionnel: Affectation à un seul groupe
  • Masquage: Aucun (étiquette ouverte)

Armes et Interventions

Groupe de participants / Bras
Intervention / Traitement
Expérimental: FRONTIER Soft Exoskeleton Testing

Each participant (both healthy volunteers and patients) will take part in one single testing session, structured as follows:

  1. Unassisted condition: subjects will perform a set of standardized upper limb movements (shoulder, elbow, and hand) without robotic assistance.
  2. Assisted condition (robot active): the same set of movements will be repeated with the support of the FRONTIER exoskeleton.

Que mesure l'étude ?

Principaux critères de jugement

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Usability of the FRONTIER Soft Exoskeleton as Assessed by the System Usability Scale (SUS) Total Score
Délai: Day 1. Immediately after completion of the single testing session
Device usability will be measured using the 10-item System Usability Scale (SUS) following use of the FRONTIER soft exoskeleton prototype. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, and item scores are converted and combined to obtain a total score ranging from 0 to 100 points. Higher scores indicate greater perceived usability of the prototype. Device usability represents the primary feasibility-related outcome of the study and does not assess changes in participants' health status. SUS total scores will be reported separately for healthy volunteers and participants with chronic acquired brain injury.
Day 1. Immediately after completion of the single testing session

Mesures de résultats secondaires

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Difference in Mean Normalized Surface Electromyography (sEMG) Amplitude Between Robotic-Assisted and Unassisted Movements
Délai: Day 1. During the single testing session
Muscle activity during upper-limb movements will be recorded using surface electromyography (sEMG) under two conditions: with and without assistance from the FRONTIER soft exoskeleton. sEMG amplitude will be quantified using the root mean square (RMS) and normalized to the maximum voluntary contraction, expressed as a percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC). For each participant, the mean normalized RMS amplitude across the predefined muscles and movement repetitions will be calculated for each condition. The reported outcome will be the within-participant difference between the robotic-assisted and unassisted conditions.
Day 1. During the single testing session
Mean Difference in Upper-Limb Range of Motion Between Robotic-Assisted and Unassisted Movements
Délai: Day 1. During the single testing session
Upper-limb range of motion will be measured during shoulder, elbow, and forearm movements performed with and without assistance from the FRONTIER soft exoskeleton. For each movement, range of motion will be calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum joint angles recorded using inertial sensors. For each participant, the differences in range of motion between the robotic-assisted and unassisted conditions will be averaged across all predefined movements to obtain a single mean difference. Positive values indicate a greater overall range of motion with robotic assistance.
Day 1. During the single testing session
NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) Overall Workload Score After Robotic-Assisted Testing
Délai: Day 1. Immediately after completion of the robotic-assisted testing session
Perceived workload associated with use of the FRONTIER soft exoskeleton will be measured using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). The questionnaire assesses six dimensions: mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. Each dimension is rated on a scale from 0 to 100 points. The overall workload score will be calculated as the mean of the six dimension scores and will range from 0 to 100 points. Higher scores indicate greater perceived workload.
Day 1. Immediately after completion of the robotic-assisted testing session
Mean Difference in Borg Category-Ratio 10 Fatigue Score Between Robotic-Assisted and Unassisted Movements
Délai: Day 1. Immediately after each predefined movement performed with and without robotic assistance during the single testing session
Perceived fatigue will be measured using the Borg Category-Ratio 10 scale (Borg CR10) immediately after each predefined shoulder, elbow, and forearm movement performed with and without assistance from the FRONTIER soft exoskeleton. Scores range from 0, indicating no fatigue, to 10, indicating maximal fatigue. For each participant, Borg CR10 scores will be averaged across the predefined movements for each condition. The reported outcome will be the within-participant difference between the robotic-assisted and unassisted conditions. Positive values indicate greater perceived fatigue with robotic assistance, whereas negative values indicate lower perceived fatigue with robotic assistance.
Day 1. Immediately after each predefined movement performed with and without robotic assistance during the single testing session
Device-Related Adverse Events During the Single Testing Session
Délai: Day 1. From device fitting through completion of the single testing session
Safety of the FRONTIER soft exoskeleton will be assessed by recording any device-related adverse events occurring during the testing session. Adverse events may include pain, skin irritation, pressure-related symptoms, or any other undesirable medical occurrence considered related to use of the device.
Day 1. From device fitting through completion of the single testing session

Collaborateurs et enquêteurs

C'est ici que vous trouverez les personnes et les organisations impliquées dans cette étude.

Dates d'enregistrement des études

Ces dates suivent la progression des dossiers d'étude et des soumissions de résultats sommaires à ClinicalTrials.gov. Les dossiers d'étude et les résultats rapportés sont examinés par la Bibliothèque nationale de médecine (NLM) pour s'assurer qu'ils répondent à des normes de contrôle de qualité spécifiques avant d'être publiés sur le site Web public.

Dates principales de l'étude

Début de l'étude (Estimé)

1 septembre 2026

Achèvement primaire (Estimé)

30 octobre 2026

Achèvement de l'étude (Estimé)

31 décembre 2026

Dates d'inscription aux études

Première soumission

14 juillet 2026

Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

1 août 2026

Première publication (Réel)

6 août 2026

Mises à jour des dossiers d'étude

Dernière mise à jour publiée (Réel)

6 août 2026

Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

1 août 2026

Dernière vérification

1 juillet 2026

Plus d'information

Termes liés à cette étude

Informations sur les médicaments et les dispositifs, documents d'étude

Étudie un produit pharmaceutique réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

Étudie un produit d'appareil réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

Ces informations ont été extraites directement du site Web clinicaltrials.gov sans aucune modification. Si vous avez des demandes de modification, de suppression ou de mise à jour des détails de votre étude, veuillez contacter register@clinicaltrials.gov. Dès qu'un changement est mis en œuvre sur clinicaltrials.gov, il sera également mis à jour automatiquement sur notre site Web .

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