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Enhancing Voluntary Motion in Broad Patient Populations With Modular Powered Orthoses Renewal

2026년 6월 22일 업데이트: Robert D Gregg, University of Michigan
The overall goal of this project is to establish a novel design and control paradigm for modular, partial-assist powered orthoses (exoskeletons) to enhance voluntary lower-limb motion and manage pain in broad patient populations. Building upon a previous study period that addressed weakness from advanced age or muscle fatigue, this current period extends the technology to novel powered unloader orthoses designed to manage knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain. The investigators hypothesize that by providing 15-30% of biological joint torque, these motorized devices can reduce muscular contributions to painful loads on the joint's surfaces during activities of daily living (ADLs). The project aims to develop a task-agnostic, neural network-based controller and establish the feasibility of reducing knee pain and muscle effort in individuals with multi-compartment knee osteoarthritis.

연구 개요

상세 설명

The overall goal of this project is to develop modular, lower-limb, powered orthoses that fit to user-specific joints and control torque in a manner that enhances voluntary motion and mitigates musculoskeletal pain. Commercial exoskeletons typically use actuation and control methods that force the human user to follow specific, rigid gait patterns. This has prevented emerging wearable robotics from effectively addressing the weakness and pain associated with mild to moderate impairments, such as knee osteoarthritis (OA). These populations require partial, task-agnostic assistance that works harmoniously with their voluntary motion rather than constraining it.

To bridge this gap, this project utilizes a quasi-direct drive actuation paradigm, a high-torque motor combined with a low-ratio transmission, integrated into conventional knee stabilizer and unloader braces. This hardware is uniquely capable of producing large output torques without causing perceptible resistance when backdriven by the human joint. To control the device across various activities of daily living (ADLs) without requiring pre-programmed trajectories, the investigators are developing a neural network-based formulation of "energy shaping" (effectively combining virtual springs, dampers, and gravity/inertia compensation) trained on multi-activity human data.

The specific objectives of this study period are to:

  1. Integrate the modular quasi-direct drive actuator and miniaturized electronics into both a modified knee stabilizer brace and a modified unloader knee brace.
  2. Implement and validate the neural network-based energy shaping controller to provide task-agnostic, biomimetic torque assistance with able-bodied subjects.
  3. Establish the clinical feasibility of this technology in individuals with multi-compartment knee OA.

The investigators hypothesize that the biomimetic torque assistance provided by these motorized braces will significantly reduce quadriceps effort, knee joint moment loads, and subjective pain across ADLs.

연구 유형

중재적

등록 (추정된)

65

단계

  • 해당 없음

연락처 및 위치

이 섹션에서는 연구를 수행하는 사람들의 연락처 정보와 이 연구가 수행되는 장소에 대한 정보를 제공합니다.

연구 연락처

연구 연락처 백업

연구 장소

    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, 미국, 48109
        • 모병
        • Rehab Lab
        • 연락하다:
        • 수석 연구원:
          • Robert Gregg

참여기준

연구원은 적격성 기준이라는 특정 설명에 맞는 사람을 찾습니다. 이러한 기준의 몇 가지 예는 개인의 일반적인 건강 상태 또는 이전 치료입니다.

자격 기준

공부할 수 있는 나이

  • 성인
  • 고령자

건강한 자원 봉사자를 받아들입니다

예

설명

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria for able-bodied, young participants will be:

  • Aged between 18 to 65 years
  • Weigh less than 300 lbs (due to challenges in bracing heavier participants)
  • BMI < 40 (due to challenges in bracing heavier participants)

Inclusion criteria for knee osteoarthritis participants will be:

  • Aged between 30 to 85 years
  • Medical diagnosis of patellofemoral and tibiofemoral osteoarthritis
  • Patient reported pain ≥ 4 out of 10 during activities of daily life (to avoid floor effects)
  • Weigh less than 300 lbs (due to challenges in bracing heavier participants)
  • BMI < 40 (due to challenges in bracing heavier participants)
  • Ability to walk 6 minutes without assistance from a person (may use walking aid)
  • Ability to ascend/descend ramps and stairs with or without the use of handrails

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion criteria for able-bodied, young adult participants will be:

  • Pregnant (self-report)
  • Any significant neuromuscular or musculoskeletal disorder that would interfere with the study
  • Unable to walk for 20 minutes
  • History of any cardiovascular, vestibular, or visual diseases and/or impairments that may interfere with the study
  • Cognitive deficits that would impair their ability to give informed consent or impair their ability to follow simple instructions during the experiments. Cognitive deficits will be determined by a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of <22.
  • Adults with a known allergy to medical grade tape

Exclusion criteria for knee osteoarthritis participants will be:

  • Pregnant (self-report)
  • Any recent lower-extremity fracture (within 6 months)
  • Significant limitation on knee joint range of motion
  • Significant neurological (e.g., stroke) or cardiovascular disorder that may affect the ability to walk
  • Advised by a physician not to walk or exercise
  • Uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes
  • Use of opioids
  • Cognitive deficits or visual impairment that would impair their ability to give informed consent or impair their ability to follow simple instructions during the experiments. Cognitive deficits will be determined by a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of <22.
  • Adults with a known allergy to medical grade tape

공부 계획

이 섹션에서는 연구 설계 방법과 연구가 측정하는 내용을 포함하여 연구 계획에 대한 세부 정보를 제공합니다.

연구는 어떻게 설계됩니까?

디자인 세부사항

  • 주 목적: 다른
  • 할당: 해당 없음
  • 중재 모델: 단일 그룹 할당
  • 마스킹: 없음(오픈 라벨)

무기와 개입

참가자 그룹 / 팔
개입 / 치료
실험적: Exoskeleton

Experimental: Exoskeleton

Participants in this arm of the study will perform various tasks while wearing the modular powered orthosis

이 연구는 광범위한 환자 모집단에서 자발적인 움직임을 향상시키는 방식으로 사용자별 약해진 관절과 제어력/토크에 맞는 모듈식, 하지, 전동 보조기를 조사할 것입니다. 중심 가설은 에너지 대물렌즈로 제어되는 고토크, 저관성 모터 시스템이 모듈식 동력 보조기가 관절을 부분적으로 보조할 수 있게 한다는 것입니다. 최소한의 변속기와 결합된 고토크 전기 모터는 사람의 관절에 의해 자유롭게 회전(즉, 역구동)될 수 있으므로 에너지 성형이라는 새로운 토크 제어 방법을 사용하여 모든 동작 중에 신체의 무게/관성을 줄일 수 있습니다. 이러한 모듈형 액추에이터를 상용 보조기에 장착하면 임상의가 이 기술을 쉽게 처방/구성할 수 있습니다.

연구는 무엇을 측정합니까?

주요 결과 측정

결과 측정
측정값 설명
기간
Muscle effort
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Muscle activity will be measured by surface EMG electrodes, and EMG sites will be averaged by flexors and extensors. For each condition (no orthosis vs. powered orthosis), signals will be normalized by their peaks during the no-orthosis condition, and then averaged over cycle, repetitions, and tasks to obtain overall muscle effort (focusing on knee extension for the powered knee orthosis, hip extension and flexion for the powered hip orthosis, and ankle plantarflexion for the powered ankle orthosis).
Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Joint moment load
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Biological torques will be estimated by subtracting the assistive torques from the total joint torques computed via inverse dynamics (using OpenSim). Biological torques will be divided into flexion and extension. For each condition (no orthosis vs. powered orthosis), signals will be normalized by their peaks during the no-orthosis condition, and then averaged over cycle, repetitions, and tasks to obtain overall joint moment load (focusing on knee extension for the powered knee orthosis, hip extension and flexion for the powered hip orthosis, and ankle plantarflexion for the powered ankle orthosis).
Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Pain score
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months

The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) will be used to assess perceived pain for a multi-activity circuit test and isolated activity tests.

The KOOS evaluates both short-term and long-term consequences of knee injury. It holds 42 items in 5 separately scored subscales; Pain, other Symptoms, Function in daily living (ADL), Function in Sport and Recreation (Sport/Rec), and knee-related Quality of Life (QOL). It is an extension of the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index. A Likert scale is used and all items have five possible answer options scored from 0 (No Problems) to 4 (Extreme Problems) and each of the five scores is calculated as the sum of the items included. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with zero representing extreme knee problems and 100 representing no knee problems as common in orthopaedic assessment scales and generic measures.

Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months

2차 결과 측정

결과 측정
측정값 설명
기간
10-meter walk test
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
A 10-meter walk test on an overground walkway will assess self-selected walking speed across three conditions: no orthosis, conventional orthosis, and powered orthosis at their preferred assistance level.
Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Joint range of motion
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Joint range of motion for each task will be recorded using optical motion capture and averaged over cycle and repetitions. Motion capture data will be recorded during study visits and used to calculate joint angle, which will then be averaged over gait cycles and activity repetitions to get a range of motion value.
Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Joint compressive forces
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
In Aim 3, joint compressive forces for each task will be modeled using OpenSim / inverse dynamics and
Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
Difficulty score
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months

The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) will be used to assess perceived difficulty for a multi-activity circuit test and isolated activity tests.

The KOOS evaluates both short-term and long-term consequences of knee injury. It holds 42 items in 5 separately scored subscales; Pain, other Symptoms, Function in daily living (ADL), Function in Sport and Recreation (Sport/Rec), and knee-related Quality of Life (QOL). It is an extension of the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index. A Likert scale is used and all items have five possible answer options scored from 0 (No Problems) to 4 (Extreme Problems) and each of the five scores is calculated as the sum of the items included. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with zero representing extreme knee problems and 100 representing no knee problems as common in orthopaedic assessment scales and generic measures.

Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months
QUEST
기간: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months

We will administer the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST 2.0) survey after each orthosis condition to assess comfort and satisfaction with the device.

The QUEST 2.0 is a highly-validated, 12-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure how satisfied a person is with a wide range of assistive technology. It contains 12 items divided into 2 primary categories: device subscale and services subscale. Participants rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale: 1 = Not satisfied at all, 2 = Not very satisfied, 3 = More or less satisfied, 4 = Quite satisfied, 5 = Very satisfied. To calculate the final metrics, the scores of the items are summed and divided by the total number of valid responses. This yields three separate scores ranging from 1.0 to 5.0: a Device Score, a Services Score, and a Total QUEST Score. Higher scores indicate a better outcome (greater satisfaction with the technology).

Baseline and through study completion, an average of 2 months

공동 작업자 및 조사자

여기에서 이 연구와 관련된 사람과 조직을 찾을 수 있습니다.

연구 기록 날짜

이 날짜는 ClinicalTrials.gov에 대한 연구 기록 및 요약 결과 제출의 진행 상황을 추적합니다. 연구 기록 및 보고된 결과는 공개 웹사이트에 게시되기 전에 특정 품질 관리 기준을 충족하는지 확인하기 위해 국립 의학 도서관(NLM)에서 검토합니다.

연구 주요 날짜

연구 시작 (실제)

2025년 7월 18일

기본 완료 (추정된)

2030년 3월 30일

연구 완료 (추정된)

2030년 3월 31일

연구 등록 날짜

최초 제출

2026년 6월 16일

QC 기준을 충족하는 최초 제출

2026년 6월 22일

처음 게시됨 (실제)

2026년 6월 29일

연구 기록 업데이트

마지막 업데이트 게시됨 (실제)

2026년 6월 29일

QC 기준을 충족하는 마지막 업데이트 제출

2026년 6월 22일

마지막으로 확인됨

2026년 6월 1일

추가 정보

이 연구와 관련된 용어

기타 연구 ID 번호

  • HUM00201957_Period2
  • R01EB031166 (미국 NIH 보조금/계약)

개별 참가자 데이터(IPD) 계획

개별 참가자 데이터(IPD)를 공유할 계획입니까?

미정

약물 및 장치 정보, 연구 문서

미국 FDA 규제 의약품 연구

아니

미국 FDA 규제 기기 제품 연구

예

미국에서 제조되어 미국에서 수출되는 제품

아니

이 정보는 변경 없이 clinicaltrials.gov 웹사이트에서 직접 가져온 것입니다. 귀하의 연구 세부 정보를 변경, 제거 또는 업데이트하도록 요청하는 경우 register@clinicaltrials.gov. 문의하십시오. 변경 사항이 clinicaltrials.gov에 구현되는 즉시 저희 웹사이트에도 자동으로 업데이트됩니다. .

구독하다