NRI: Robot-Assisted Longitudinal Physical and Cognitive Exercise Interventions for Older Veterans

NCT07885813 | Active Not Recruiting Early Phase 1

• 2 other identifiers: HE-2025-1899R01AG078124
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 12
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In this protocol, the researchers will shift from the past short-term methods to a longer-term deployment and study of a robotic system in a skilled nursing facility setting. The research team will use a repeated baseline-intervention period to understand changes brought on by the robot, specifically. The robot will be deployed in the partnering SNF ambiently (i.e., in a public setting where all residents can elect to use it on demand). Additionally, the researchers will make bi-weekly visits to check in and observe participants performing the intervention activity. The research team will share findings using academic conferences and journals.

Conditions

Active Control (Robot on Screen); Adaptive Assistive Robot

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• NNIH Toolbox Motor Battery Pegboard Test

  Physical ability assessment involving a pegboard task.

  Day 1 and every 14 of the study days after that, during the study period

• NIH Toolbox Cognitive Measure Activities

  Cognitive assessments from the NIH Toolboxes selected to test key aspects of cognition such as memory and sequencing.

  Day 1 and every 14 days after that, during the study period

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• General Robot Opinions and Social Attributes of Robots Questions

  Day 1 and final day of study

• Box and Blocks Assessment

  Day 1 and every 45 days after that, during the study period

• Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Assessment

  Day 1 and every 45 days after that, during the study period

• Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D)

  Day 1 and every 45 days after that, during the study period

• Vigorousness of Motion (from Inertial Measurement Unit)

  Day 1 and every 14 days after that, during the study period

Study Arms (1)

ABAB Single-Case-Style Experience

EXPERIMENTAL

Our research team will complete participatory design steps and conduct a final long-term evaluation involving two intervention support phases: (1) a robotic intervention system that adapts over time and (2) an active control (an onscreen version of the same robot, similar to modern commercial technologies). We will be able to compare outcomes across phases, which follow an ABAB design with each phase being 1.5 months long. This design allows for each person to be compared to their own active control baseline, in addition to analyses of differences between the phases, allowing for meaningful insights even from a small study cohort. The proposed robotic intervention (i.e., a robot for physical and cognitive exercise) was identified by the skilled nursing facility stakeholders as their top desired robotic application in initial research team discussions.

Behavioral: Exercise with Assistive Robot

Interventions

Exercise with Assistive Robot BEHAVIORAL

During the single arm of this study, participants will experience active control experiences with an onscreen version of an assistive robot (similar to the standard of care), as well as experimental experiences with an in-person version of the robot (a novel intervention). The robot is the system that has been designed by our research team based on previous design cycles with the Oregon Veterans' Home.

ABAB Single-Case-Style Experience

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Identifying as veterans and/or older adults

You may not qualify if:

• Below 18 years

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oregon State University: lead
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): collaborator
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Oregon Veterans' Home

Lebanon, Oregon, 97355, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Exercise

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: early phase 1
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Robotics

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 29, 2026
• First Posted: October 21, 2026
• Study Start: July 8, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 6, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 7, 2027
• Last Updated: October 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-10

Locations

US (1)