Recruiting

Exoskeleton Development

Sponsor:

Medical University of South Carolina

Code:

NCT07356011

Conditions

Stroke

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

No Exoskeleton

Exoskeleton (zero impedance)

Exoskeleton (low impedance)

Exoskeleton (medium impedance)

Exoskeleton (high impedance)

Study Details

Brief summary:

Many people who have experienced a stroke have deficits in their walking balance. The long-term goal of this research is to develop an exoskeleton that can effectively improve walking balance, thus improving functional mobility.

Conditions

Stroke

Study ID

NCT07356011

Start date

May 6, 2026

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Jun 1, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 1, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Evidence of a stroke at least 6 months prior to participation
  • Evidence of dysfunction of the paretic lower limb (Fugl-Meyer lower extremity motor score < 34)
  • At least 21 years of age
  • Self-reported experience of a fall in the previous year, and/or a fear of falling
  • Gait speed of at least 0.2 m/s
  • Ability to walk on a treadmill without a cane or walker
  • Ability to follow three step commands and communicate with experimenters to answer questions (e.g., regarding their balance confidence)
  • Provision of informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Resting blood pressure higher than 220/110 mm Hg
  • History of unstable cardiac arrhythmias, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, severe aortic stenosis, angina or dyspnea at rest or during activities of daily living
  • Preexisting neurological orders or dementia
  • Legal blindness or severe visual impairment
  • Presence of neglect
  • History of DVT or pulmonary embolism within 6 months
  • Uncontrolled diabetes with recent weight loss, diabetic coma, or frequent insulin reactions
  • Orthopedic injuries or conditions (e.g., joint replacements) in the lower extremities with the potential to alter the gait pattern

Study Design

Enrollment

21 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: xoskeleton Assistance Conditions (No Exoskeleton, Zero, Low, Medium, High Impedance)

Participants in this arm will walk on a treadmill under several conditions. In one condition, they will not wear the exoskeleton. In other conditions, the exoskeleton will be set to zero, low, medium, or high impedance.

Interventions

No Exoskeleton

The participant will not wear an exoskeleton

Exoskeleton (zero impedance)

The participant will wear an exoskeleton with zero impedance

Exoskeleton (low impedance)

The participant will wear an exoskeleton with low joint impedance

Exoskeleton (medium impedance)

The participant will wear an exoskeleton with medium joint impedance

Exoskeleton (high impedance)

The participant will wear an exoskeleton with high impedance

Primary outcome measure

  • Partial correlation (rSW) between mediolateral pelvis displacement and step width during unperturbed walking [ Time Frame: Visit 2, anticipated average 1 week ]
  • Partial correlation (rSW) between mediolateral pelvis displacement and step width during speed perturbations [ Time Frame: Visit 4, anticipated average 1 year ]
  • Partial correlation (rSW) between mediolateral pelvis displacement and step width during vision perturbations [ Time Frame: Visit 4, anticipated average 1 year ]
  • Partial correlation (rSW) between mediolateral pelvis displacement and step width during mediolateral pull perturbations [ Time Frame: Visit 4, anticipated average 1 year ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Jesse C. Dean, PhD

8437929566deaje@musc.edu

Locations

Medical University of South Carolina

Recruiting

Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425

Contacts

Jesse C. Dean, PhD

8437929566deaje@musc.edu

Principal Investigator:

Jesse C Dean, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Medical University of South Carolina

Last update posted

May 12, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • walking
  • balance
  • exoskeleton

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Medical University of South Carolina on 2026-05-12.