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

22 juni 2026 bijgewerkt door: 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.

Studie Overzicht

Gedetailleerde beschrijving

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.

Studietype

Ingrijpend

Inschrijving (Geschat)

65

Fase

  • Niet toepasbaar

Contacten en locaties

In dit gedeelte vindt u de contactgegevens van degenen die het onderzoek uitvoeren en informatie over waar dit onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd.

Studiecontact

Studie Contact Back-up

Studie Locaties

    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, Verenigde Staten, 48109
        • Werving
        • Rehab Lab
        • Contact:
        • Hoofdonderzoeker:
          • Robert Gregg

Deelname Criteria

Onderzoekers zoeken naar mensen die aan een bepaalde beschrijving voldoen, de zogenaamde geschiktheidscriteria. Enkele voorbeelden van deze criteria zijn iemands algemene gezondheidstoestand of eerdere behandelingen.

Geschiktheidscriteria

Leeftijden die in aanmerking komen voor studie

  • Volwassen
  • Oudere volwassene

Accepteert gezonde vrijwilligers

Ja

Beschrijving

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

Studie plan

Dit gedeelte bevat details van het studieplan, inclusief hoe de studie is opgezet en wat de studie meet.

Hoe is de studie opgezet?

Ontwerpdetails

  • Primair doel: Ander
  • Toewijzing: NVT
  • Interventioneel model: Opdracht voor een enkele groep
  • Masker: Geen (open label)

Wapens en interventies

Deelnemersgroep / Arm
Interventie / Behandeling
Experimenteel: Exoskeleton

Experimental: Exoskeleton

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

Deze studie zal modulaire, elektrische orthesen voor de onderste ledematen onderzoeken die passen bij gebruikersspecifieke verzwakte gewrichten en kracht/torsie beheersen op een manier die de vrijwillige beweging bij brede patiëntenpopulaties verbetert. De centrale hypothese is dat motorsystemen met een hoog koppel en een lage traagheid, bestuurd met energetische doelen, modulaire aangedreven orthesen in staat zullen stellen om de gewrichten gedeeltelijk te ondersteunen. Elektromotoren met hoog koppel in combinatie met minimale transmissies kunnen vrij worden geroteerd (d.w.z. teruggestuurd) door menselijke gewrichten, waardoor het gebruik van een opkomende koppelcontrolemethode, energievorming genaamd, mogelijk wordt om het waargenomen gewicht / de traagheid van het lichaam tijdens elke beweging te verminderen. Door deze modulaire actuatoren op commerciële orthesen te monteren, kan deze technologie eenvoudig worden voorgeschreven/geconfigureerd door clinici.

Wat meet het onderzoek?

Primaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
Muscle effort
Tijdsspanne: 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
Tijdsspanne: 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
Tijdsspanne: 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

Secundaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
10-meter walk test
Tijdsspanne: 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
Tijdsspanne: 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
Tijdsspanne: 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
Tijdsspanne: 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
Tijdsspanne: 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

Medewerkers en onderzoekers

Hier vindt u mensen en organisaties die betrokken zijn bij dit onderzoek.

Studie record data

Deze datums volgen de voortgang van het onderzoeksdossier en de samenvatting van de ingediende resultaten bij ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieverslagen en gerapporteerde resultaten worden beoordeeld door de National Library of Medicine (NLM) om er zeker van te zijn dat ze voldoen aan specifieke kwaliteitscontrolenormen voordat ze op de openbare website worden geplaatst.

Bestudeer belangrijke data

Studie start (Werkelijk)

18 juli 2025

Primaire voltooiing (Geschat)

30 maart 2030

Studie voltooiing (Geschat)

31 maart 2030

Studieregistratiedata

Eerst ingediend

16 juni 2026

Eerst ingediend dat voldeed aan de QC-criteria

22 juni 2026

Eerst geplaatst (Werkelijk)

29 juni 2026

Updates van studierecords

Laatste update geplaatst (Werkelijk)

29 juni 2026

Laatste update ingediend die voldeed aan QC-criteria

22 juni 2026

Laatst geverifieerd

1 juni 2026

Meer informatie

Termen gerelateerd aan deze studie

Andere studie-ID-nummers

  • HUM00201957_Period2
  • R01EB031166 (Subsidie/contract van de Amerikaanse NIH)

Plan Individuele Deelnemersgegevens (IPD)

Bent u van plan om gegevens van individuele deelnemers (IPD) te delen?

ONBESLIST

Informatie over medicijnen en apparaten, studiedocumenten

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd geneesmiddel

Nee

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd apparaatproduct

Ja

product vervaardigd in en geëxporteerd uit de V.S.

Nee

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