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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05120115

Optimization of Hip-exoskeleton Weight Attributes

The investigators are examining how weight distribution affects the way people walk, in terms of joint kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity. The investigators are measuring these quantities while people walk while wearing a weighted belt. The investigators distribute the weights and walk for specified periods. They hypothesize that greater weight will have a greater effect on walking.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Gait Disorders, Neurologic Gait, Frontal Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas, 78712, United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to examine how the amount and distribution of weight on the pelvis affects how people walk. The investigators two factors, weight and placement. They are examining how these factors affect muscle activation, joint motions and foot forces. The investigators plan to recruit 40 healthy adult individuals. Each of the 20 experimental conditions (3x3 factorial and one control condition with no weight) will be recorded immediately in a single session. The investigators hypothesize that weight amount, gait speed and weight distribution will all affect how people walk, which will lead towards optimized design of hip exoskeletons.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Willing to commit to the full experimental session

Exclusion criteria

  • Functionally relevant lower limb musculoskeletal injury
  • Functionally relevant osteoarthritis and weight bearing restrictions
  • Severe respiratory problems that restrict the wearer from using a metabolic rate apparatus
  • Patients with cardiac issues may be included, but the cardiac issue will be noted in the health history questionnaire

Treatment and study plan

Weight belt

Other

Wearing belt around waist with various weights attached.

Primary outcomes

  1. Pelvic Obliquity

    Time frame: One day

    Amount of pelvic obliquity in response to weighted belt measured using optical motion capture

Secondary outcomes

  1. Knee Flexion Angle During Swing Phase

    Time frame: One Day

    Knee flexion angle range of motion measured using optical motion capture

  2. Integrated Gastrocnemius Muscle Activity During Preswing Phase of Walking

    Time frame: One day

    EMG signals were normalized via the mean-dynamic method (Burden and Bartlett, 1999), centering the EMG signal around 1. For data analysis, the EMG signal was integrated along each gait phase to calculate the integrated EMG (iEMG) values. For the gastrocnemius, we extrated the iEMG during the pre-swing phase only. The iEMG was normalized to average during walking, resulting in arbitrary units.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Texas at Austin

Other

Collaborators

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Registry information

Official study title

Evaluating Optimal Weight Design Parameters of a Hip Exoskeleton Designed for Rehabilitation.

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Nov 15, 2021
Registry last updated
Nov 29, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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