Actively Recruiting
Human-like Robotic Controllers for Enhanced Motor Learning
Led by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab · Updated on 2025-05-25
764
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
228 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
S
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Lead Sponsor
U
U.S. National Science Foundation
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
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).
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Human-like Robotic Controllers for Enhanced Motor Learning
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Age from 18 to 80 years
- No history of brain or skull lesions for healthy participants
- Normal hearing and vision (can be corrected)
- Able to understand and give informed consent
- No neurological disorders or abnormal movement-causing pathologies
- Able to understand and speak English
- Height between 3 foot 6 inches (1.1 meters) and 6 foot 2 inches
- For participants post-stroke: history of unilateral ischemic or hemorrhage stroke greater than 6 months
- Ability to walk more than 10 meters independently on level ground (assistive devices or bracing allowed)
- Self-selected walking speed less than 0.8 meters/sec
- Medically stable
- No concurrent surgeries, medical treatments, participation in research or outpatient therapy
- For participants with spinal cord injury: history of incomplete SCI injury (ASIA C or D) more than 6 months prior
- Same walking and medical stability requirements as post-stroke participants
You will not qualify if you...
- Weight over 220 lbs
- Pregnancy
- Current wounds or pressure ulcers
- Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, severe dementia, brain or spinal cord injury, or central nervous system cancer
- History of significant head trauma or known structural brain lesion
- Significant other diseases including heart disease, malignant tumors, mental disorders
- History of peripheral nerve injury
- History of sustained non-prescribed drug use or substance abuse (nicotine allowed)
- Prior neurosurgical procedures
- Inability or unwillingness to perform study activities
- Prisoner status
- Unable to meet MRI pre-examination screening requirements
- For post-stroke and SCI participants: Botox injection to lower limbs within prior 3 months or planned during study
- Reduced cognitive function or severe aphasia (post-stroke)
- Severe hip, knee, or ankle arthritis
- Recent fracture or osteoporosis
- Significant spasticity in lower limbs (Modified Ashworth Scale score 3 or higher)
- Medical or psychiatric diseases interfering with study procedures
AI-Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
J
Jose Pons, Ph.D
CONTACT
G
Grace Hoo, BS
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
4
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