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Not yet recruitingNCT07584707Updated May 13, 2026

Investigation of Motorized Lower-limb Prostheses

An interventional study of Passive prosthesis and Motorized prosthesis in Ambulation With the "Take Home" or Passive Prosthesis, Ambulation With the Motorized Prosthesis in the "Off" Configuration and Ambulation With the Motorized Prosthesis in the "Transparent" Condition, sponsored by Northern Arizona University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-13.

Sponsored by Northern Arizona University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
20
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a motorized prosthesis can improve mobility in individuals with amputation. The main question it aims to answer is:

  • Does motorized prosthesis improve ambulation speed, balance, control, or efficiency when performing everyday activities?
  • What problems arise when using a motorized prosthesis? Researchers will compare mobility of the participants when using and not using the motorized prosthesis to see if mobility and/or function improves.

Participants will perform various activities with and without the motorized prosthesis including:

  • Walking at a mild incline/decline (0°-15°) on treadmill or over-ground
  • Ascending or descending stairs
  • Stand to sit and sit to stand transitions
  • All terrain walking over ground
  • Turning
  • Any combination of the above-mentioned activities
Read the detailed description

Participants will perform ambulation activities (see list below) while using their prescribed prosthesis or the motorized prosthesis in conjunction with their prescribed passive prosthesis. Each ambulation activity will be tested in four different conditions:

  1. Ambulation with their personal (take home) device. This condition acts as a baseline to which the ambulation with the motorized prosthesis can be compared.
  2. Ambulation with the motorized prosthesis in the "off" configuration (i.e., no power is applied to the motor). This condition demonstrates the impact of the device when it is unpowered.
  3. Ambulation with the motorized prosthesis in the "transparent" configuration (i.e., minimal power is applied to the motor, such that the device behaves as a free hinge). This condition demonstrates the impact of the device when it behaves as a free hinge, similar to the participants personal device.
  4. Ambulation with the motorized prosthesis in the "powered" configuration (i.e., substantial electrical power is applied to the motor to replicate the function of the biological joint). This condition assesses the impact of the motorized prosthesis to improve ambulation of the participant.

Trials will take place over-ground and/or on a treadmill. Participants will walk for up to 40 minutes. Frequent breaks will be provided between trials and conditions to avoid fatigue and a maximum of 15 minutes of continuous walking will take place between breaks. When deemed necessary by the research staff or participant, crutches, canes, walkers, an overhead support system, or other ambulation or safety aid will be used to minimize the risk of a severe fall.

List of ambulation activities

  1. Walking at a mild incline/decline (0°-15°) on treadmill or over-ground
  2. Ascending or descending stairs
  3. Stand to sit and sit to stand transitions
  4. All terrain walking over ground
  5. Turning
  6. Any combination of the above-mentioned activities

The above conditions will be assessed using motion capture techniques in the laboratory environment which will include measures of metabolic energy consumption and muscle activity.

All terrain walking over ground will take place on campus and include Engineering, Business, and Learning resource Center buildings, the north and south quads, and campus walkways and urban trails. During all terrain walking, the participant will be attended by research personnel that will monitor subject safety.

02

Conditions studied

  • Ambulation With the "Take Home" or Passive Prosthesis
  • Ambulation With the Motorized Prosthesis in the "Off" Configuration
  • Ambulation With the Motorized Prosthesis in the "Transparent" Condition
  • Ambulation With the Motorized Prosthesis in the "Powered" Condition

Keywords

  • motorized prosthesis
  • ambulation
  • biomechanics
  • mobility
  • amputation
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Individuals age 18 to 85 with or without lower-limb amputation
  • Able to understand and follow simple directions in English based on ability to provide verbal consent
  • Able to walk at least 30 feet with or without a walking aid
  • Able to safely fit into a device configuration and tolerate assistance
  • Individuals with lower-limb amputation must receive physician approval to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any neurological, musculoskeletal (other than lower-limb amputation) or cardiorespiratory injury, health condition (including pregnancy), or diagnosis that would affect the ability to walk as directed for short periods of time.
  • Participant or caregiver report that the perspective participant's physician has recommended that they not engage in moderate intensity walking exercise.
  • Subject mass greater than the engineered limit of the device (90 kg or 198 lbs) Note: No exclusions will be made on the basis of race, gender or ethnic background.
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Experimental Group

    Trials will take place over-ground and/or on a treadmill. Participants will ambulate for up to 40 minutes. Frequent breaks will be provided between trials and conditions to avoid fatigue and a maximum of 15 minutes of continuous ambulation will take place between breaks. When deemed necessary by the research staff or participant, crutches, canes, walkers, an overhead support system, or other ambulation or safety aid will be used to minimize the risk of a severe fall. List of ambulation activities will include no more than 1. Walking at a mild incline/decline (0°-15°) on treadmill or over-ground 2. Ascending or descending stairs 3. Stand to sit and sit to stand transitions 4. All terrain walking over ground 5. Turning 6. Any combination of the above-mentioned activities The above activities will be performed with the passive prosthesis and the motorized prosthesis in the "off", "transparent", and "powered" configurations.

    Device: Passive prosthesis · Device: Motorized prosthesis

Interventions

  • DevicePassive prosthesis

    The participant will perform the study protocol with their "take home" prosthesis and/or another suitable passive prosthesis.

    Also known as: take home prosthesis, control, baseline

  • DeviceMotorized prosthesis

    The motorized prosthesis is an experimental device. The device is constructed from plastic and metal. It has motors, sensors, and electronic systems to control the prosthesis to mimic the behavior of a biological joint. The device is determined non-significant risk by the sponsor's Institutional Review Board.

    Also known as: powered prosthesis

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Joint position

    Motion capture measurements will be taken to calculate joint position (degrees) of the ankle, knee, hip, and torso. Participant measurements will be averaged per condition to generate a participant average. Participant averages will be pooled to determine an average per condition.

    Time frame: Assessment will be taken on Day 1 (Intervention 1), Day 2 (Intervention 2 - condition 1), Day 3 (Intervention 2 - condition 2), and Day 4 (Intervention 2 - condition 3)

  2. Joint Velocity

    Motion capture will be used to record joint velocity (deg/s) of the ankle, knee, hip, and torso. Participant measurements will be averaged per condition to generate a participant average. Participant averages will be pooled to determine an average per condition.

    Time frame: Assessment will be taken on Day 1 (Intervention 1), Day 2 (Intervention 2 - condition 1), Day 3 (Intervention 2 - condition 2), and Day 4 (Intervention 2 - condition 3)

  3. Ground reaction force

    The force a participant exerts on the ground (Newtons) will be measured using a force plate. Participant measurements will be averaged per condition to generate a participant average. Participant averages will be pooled to determine an average per condition.

    Time frame: Assessment will be taken on Day 1 (Intervention 1), Day 2 (Intervention 2 - condition 1), Day 3 (Intervention 2 - condition 2), and Day 4 (Intervention 2 - condition 3)

  4. Muscle Electric Potential

    Muscle electric potential will be measured using skin mounted electrodes (surface electromyography) and reported in volts. Participant measurements will be averaged per condition to generate a participant average. Participant averages will be pooled to determine an average per condition.

    Time frame: Assessment will be taken on Day 1 (Intervention 1), Day 2 (Intervention 2 - condition 1), Day 3 (Intervention 2 - condition 2), and Day 4 (Intervention 2 - condition 3)

  5. Gas uptake and exchange

    Oxygen consumption and CO2 production will be measured in L/s. Participant measurements will be averaged per condition to generate a participant average. Participant averages will be pooled to determine an average per condition.

    Time frame: Assessment will be taken on Day 1 (Intervention 1), Day 2 (Intervention 2 - condition 1), Day 3 (Intervention 2 - condition 2), and Day 4 (Intervention 2 - condition 3)

Secondary outcomes

  1. User Perception

    User perception of the device will be assessed using NASA TLX survey. Participants will assess the device on a scale of 1-10 based on a questionnaire. Participant measurements will be averaged per condition to generate a participant average. Participant averages will be pooled to determine an average per condition.

    Time frame: Assessment will be taken on Day 1 (Intervention 1), Day 2 (Intervention 2 - condition 1), Day 3 (Intervention 2 - condition 2), and Day 4 (Intervention 2 - condition 3)

06

Study locations

1 site
  • Northern Arizona University
    Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, United States
07

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — Uncertain if will publish in ICMJE journal

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07584707
Lead sponsor
Northern Arizona University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 13, 2026
Start date
Apr 16, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Mar 15, 2029 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 15, 2029 (estimated)
Last update
May 13, 2026

Study contacts

Dante A Archangeli, PhD
Contact
dante.archangeli@nau.edu
928-421-3563

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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