The Effect of a Wearable Hip Assist Robot on Cardiopulmonary Metabolic Efficiency During Stair Ascent in Elderly Adults

The aim of this study was to identify the assistance effect of the new wearable hip assist robot, gait enhancing mechatronic system (GEMS) developed by Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd., Korea) during stair ascent by comparing the energy expenditure of elderly adults with and without the GEMS.

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Key information

Conditions

Gait, Unsteady Behavior Gait Disorders, Neurologic Health Behavior Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

65 year–84 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Samsung Medical Center

Seoul, South Korea

About this study

Primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the effect of a wearable hip assist robot on cardiopulmonary metabolic efficiency during stair ascent in elderly adults.

Fifteen elderly adults participated in this study. The stair ascent trials were designed to climb stairs from the first basement level to the fourth floor of the Proton Therapy Center, Samsung Medical Center, Korea. The metabolic energy expenditure was measured using a portable cardiopulmonary metabolic system (Cosmed K4b², Rome, Italy) while participants performed randomly assigned two different conditions consecutively:, free ascent without the GEMS (NoGEMS) or robot-assisted ascent with the GEMS (GEMS). Participants rested for 10 minutes between the two trial conditions.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Elderly adults who absence of a history of musculoskeletal or central nervous system diseases
High levels of physical performance (SPPB > 8)

Exclusion criteria

Elderly adults who absence of the ability to walk independently due to visual field defects, fractures, or severe muscle weakness
Severe dizziness that might lead to falls
Cognitive disorders that might be difficult to understand accurately in this study

Treatment and study plan

Wearable hip assist robot

Device

All participants climbed stairs from the first basement level to the fourth floor of the Proton Therapy Center, Samsung Medical Center, Korea with and without a wearable hip assist robot. During climbing stairs, the metabolic energy expenditure of all participants was measured using a portable cardiopulmonary metabolic system (Cosmed K4b², Rome, Italy).

Primary outcomes

Change on metabolic energy expenditure in GEMS condition compared with NoGEMS condition

Time frame: 1 hour

All participants stood in a comfortable position for 5 minutes to obtain baseline variables before stair ascent. Participants were then asked to climb stairs from the first basement level to the fourth floor of the Proton Therapy Center, Samsung Medical Center, Korea, in a step-over-step manner under two different conditions, GEMS and NoGEMS. The GEMS and NoGEMS conditions were conducted in a random order, and just before the second condition, participants stood for 2～3 minutes to obtain baseline variables once more.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Samsung Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2017
Primary completion: 2017
Study completion: 2017
First posted: Jan 3, 2018
Registry last updated: Jan 3, 2018

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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Completed