Optimizing Ankle Exoskeleton Assistance for Walking Across the Life Span
NCT ID: NCT04033146
Last Updated: 2024-06-21
Study Results
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View full resultsBasic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
16 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2020-02-04
2023-05-23
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Thus, the investigators seek to examine whether wearing wearable robotic boots (i.e., ankle exoskeletons) could enable muscles to produce force more economically. By adding an exoskeleton in-parallel to the ankle, the investigators hypothesize that older adults will walk with lower whole-body metabolic rate than without the exoskeleton assistance.
In this study, the investigators will have both young and older adult participants walk on a treadmill with a commercially available ankle exoskeleton set in multiple assistance modes. During these trials, the investigators will measure the metabolic cost of walking in young and older adults and also take many physiological and biomechanical measurements to help assess how exoskeletons work to reduce walking effort.
Conditions
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Study Design
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NON_RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
BASIC_SCIENCE
NONE
Study Groups
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Young Adult Exoskeleton Users
Study participants who are 18-45 year old.
Ankle Exoskeleton Assistance
The investigators will use ankle-exoskeletons to modulate the amount of mechanical power generated by the user's ankle joint. That is, participants will walk in a robotic device that either (a) adds a spring or (b) a motor in parallel with their calf muscles to help them generate a stronger propulsive push-off that could reduce the effort of walking.
Older Adult Exoskeleton Users
Study participants who are greater than 65 years of age.
Ankle Exoskeleton Assistance
The investigators will use ankle-exoskeletons to modulate the amount of mechanical power generated by the user's ankle joint. That is, participants will walk in a robotic device that either (a) adds a spring or (b) a motor in parallel with their calf muscles to help them generate a stronger propulsive push-off that could reduce the effort of walking.
Interventions
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Ankle Exoskeleton Assistance
The investigators will use ankle-exoskeletons to modulate the amount of mechanical power generated by the user's ankle joint. That is, participants will walk in a robotic device that either (a) adds a spring or (b) a motor in parallel with their calf muscles to help them generate a stronger propulsive push-off that could reduce the effort of walking.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Subjects are apparently free of cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal disease, which includes no signs or symptoms suggestive of cardiovascular, metabolic or renal disease.
* Subjects have no current musculoskeletal injury.
* Subjects need to be either 18-45 or 65+ years old.
These criteria meet the American College of Sports Medicine's 2015 guidelines for participant health screening prior to joining a moderate or moderate-to-vigorous exercise protocol. (Riebe et al., 2015).
Exclusion Criteria
* Have a musculoskeletal injury or feel pain while walking
* Have a history of dizziness and/or balance problems
* Have cardiovascular, heart, metabolic, or renal disease, or respiratory problems
* Smoke cigarettes
* Asthma
* Feel pain or discomfort in the chest, neck, jaw, arms during rest or exercise
* Have orthopnea or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
* Have ankle edema
* Have palpitations or tachycardia
* Have a heart murmur
* Have had a heart attack
* Have diabetes
* Have a pace maker
* Have unusual shortness of breath with usual activities
* Are \<18 or 46-64 years of age
* Do not speak or understand English
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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National Institute on Aging (NIA)
NIH
Georgia Institute of Technology
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Principal Investigators
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Gregory S Sawicki, Ph.D.
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Georgia Institute of Technology
Locations
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Physiology of Wearable Robotics Laboratory (Georgia Tech)
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Countries
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References
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Provided Documents
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Document Type: Study Protocol
Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan
Document Type: Informed Consent Form
Other Identifiers
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H18208
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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