Human-like Robotic Controllers for Enhanced Motor Learning
HRCEML
1 other identifier
interventional
764
1 country
1
Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to develop a new paradigm to understand how humans physically interact with each other at a single and at multiple joints, with multiple contact points, so as to synthesize robot controllers that can exhibit human-like behavior when interacting with humans (e.g., exoskeleton) or other co-robots. The investigators will develop models for a single joint robot (i.e. at the ankle joint) that can vary its haptic behavioral interactions at variable impedances, and replicate in a multi-joint robot (i.e. at the ankle, knee, and hip joints). The investigators will collect data from healthy participants and clinical populations to create a controller based on our models to implement in the robots. Then, the investigators will test our models via the robots to investigate the mechanisms underlying enhanced motor learning during different human-human haptic interaction behaviors (i.e. collaboration, competition, and cooperation. This study will be carried out in healthy participants, participants post-stroke, and participants with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable stroke
Started Jul 2021
Longer than P75 for not_applicable stroke
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
August 12, 2020
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
October 8, 2020
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
July 13, 2021
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
December 1, 2025
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 1, 2025
CompletedMay 25, 2025
May 1, 2025
4.4 years
August 12, 2020
May 21, 2025
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (2)
Change in lower limb motor control.
Lower limb motor control will be assessed through analysis of tracking movements to a target trajectory. If the tracking error decreases, this corresponds to motor control improvement.
Motor control will be measured all 10 sessions through study completion, an average of 12 weeks.
Change in motor output from surface EMG of lower limb muscles
For Experiment A and B with M1: the surface EMG activation patterns of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles will be collected. For Experiment A and B with H3/X2, the surface EMG of the gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, tensor fasciae latae, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius medialis, soleus, and tibialis anterior muscles will be collected.
Change of motor output at baseline, midpoint of intervention after 10 training sessions with assistive robot, and endpoint after 10 additional training sessions with the other assistive robot through participant completion, an average of 5 months.
Secondary Outcomes (11)
Change in 6 minute walking test.
Change of ambulation distance at baseline, midpoint of intervention after 10 training sessions with assistive robot, and endpoint after 10 additional training sessions with the other assistive robot through participant completion, an average of 5 months.
Change in 10 meter walking test.
Change of ambulation distance at baseline, midpoint of intervention after 10 training sessions with assistive robot, and endpoint after 10 additional training sessions with the other assistive robot through participant completion, an average of 5 months.
Change in Modified Ashworth Scale.
Change in score at baseline, midpoint of intervention after 10 training sessions with assistive robot, and endpoint after 10 additional training sessions with the other assistive robot through participant completion, an average of 5 months.
Change in BERG balance scale (BBS)
Change of score at baseline, midpoint of intervention after 10 training sessions with assistive robot, and endpoint after 10 additional training sessions with the other assistive robot through participant completion, an average of 5 months.
Change in functional gait assessment (FGA)
Change in score at baseline, midpoint of intervention after 10 training sessions with assistive robot, and endpoint after 10 additional training sessions with the other assistive robot through participant completion, an average of 5 months.
- +6 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (4)
Healthy Participants Ankle Robot (M1)
EXPERIMENTALThe investigators will look at how the task performance and motor performance of individuals in dyadic physical interactions are affected.
Healthy Participants Bilateral Lower Limb Exoskeleton (H3/X2)
EXPERIMENTALThe investigators will look at how the task performance and motor performance of individuals in dyadic physical interactions are affected.
Clinical Populations Ankle Robot (M1)
EXPERIMENTALThe investigators will look at how the task performance and motor performance of individuals in dyadic physical interactions are affected.
Clinical Populations Bilateral Lower Limb Exoskeleton (H3/X2)
EXPERIMENTALThe investigators will look at how the task performance and motor performance of individuals in dyadic physical interactions are affected.
Interventions
The participants will be single-blinded and complete a tracking task as either: solo task, collaboration task (both participants work on a common task synchronously to achieve a goal; this is a summative effort to achieve the goal), competition task (each participant has to achieve a goal at the expense of his or her partner, therefore maximizing effort or error of the partner in reaching the goal), or cooperation task (an asymmetric partnership with an active partner and a passive partner working towards a goal).
The subjects will complete their task at 3 impedance levels: high (a virtual stiffness 160-200 N/m and damping 0\~10 Nm/s; this will be a stiff connection in which the subjects feel like they are connected via rigid links and each subject will perceive the other partner's movement directly), medium (a virtual stiffness 100-140 N/m and damping 0\~10 Nm/s; this will be a spring like-connection in which the subjects feel like they are connected with a spring and each subject will perceive the other partner with a force that is proportional to the trajectory difference of the two participants), and soft (a virtual stiffness 40-80 N/m and damping 0\~10 Nm/s; this will be a spring like connection in which the subjects feel like they are connected with a loose spring and each subject will perceive the other partner with a force that is proportional to the trajectory difference of the two subjects, however, this force will be smaller than that of the medium impedance).
There will be two skill levels: novice (a participant who has no prior experience with the trajectory tracking experiment; in testing with the clinical populations, the investigators will assign this condition to the clinical participant) and expert (a participant who is experienced with the trajectory tracking experiment and who can achieve a tracking error \[difference of the desired trajectory and actual trajectory\] below a certain threshold; in testing with the clinical population, the investigators will assign this condition to the therapist). Participants will start experimentation paired as novice-novice, and at the end of the session may be invited to continue additional sessions to be paired as the expert in a novice-expert dyad.
The subjects will complete 10 training sessions per assistive robot for the researchers to observe motor learning and functional outcomes.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Age from 18 to 80 years
- No history of a brain and/or skull lesion
- Normal hearing and vision, can be corrected
- Able to understand and give informed consent
- No neurological disorders
- Absence of pathology that could cause abnormal movements of extremities (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, marked arthritis, chronic pain, musculoskeletal injuries)
- Able to understand and speak English
- Height between 3 foot 6 inches (1.1 meters) and 6 foot 2 inches
- Age from 18 to 80 years
- History of unilateral, supratentorial, ischemic or hemorrhage stroke greater than 6 month
- Ability to walk \>10m independently on level ground, allowed to use assistive devices or bracing as needed
- Self-selected walking speed is less than 0.8 meters/sec
- Medically stable
- No concurrent surgeries, medical treatments, participation in research or outpatient therapy
- Normal hearing and vision, both can be corrected
- +13 more criteria
You may not qualify if:
- Weight over 220 lbs
- Pregnancy (ruled out by pregnancy questionnaire)
- Current presence of wounds or pressure ulcers
- Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or other neurodegenerative disorder, severe dementia, brain injury, spinal cord injury, or cancer of the central nervous system
- History of significant head trauma (i.e., extended loss of consciousness, neurological sequelae)
- Known structural brain lesion
- Significant other disease (heart disease, malignant tumors, mental disorders)
- History or peripheral nerve injury
- History of sustained non-prescribed drug use or substance abuse (exception: current nicotine use is allowed)
- Prior neurosurgical procedures
- Inability or unwillingness to perform study-required activities
- Prisoners
- Unable to meet SRAlab "MRI Pre-Examination Screening Form" requirements
- Weight over 220 lbs
- Pregnancy (ruled out by pregnancy test)
- +28 more criteria
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLablead
- U.S. National Science Foundationcollaborator
Study Sites (1)
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
Related Publications (1)
Short MR, Bandini L, Ludvig D, Vianello L, Sanguineti V, Pons JL. Haptic interaction with a human partner for ankle training in chronic stroke: a pilot study. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2025 Dec 18. doi: 10.1186/s12984-025-01840-4. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 41413829DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Jose Pons, Ph.D
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- BASIC SCIENCE
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Principal Investigator
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
August 12, 2020
First Posted
October 8, 2020
Study Start
July 13, 2021
Primary Completion
December 1, 2025
Study Completion
December 1, 2025
Last Updated
May 25, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-05