ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07645729Updated Jun 12, 2026

Evaluation of a Powered Ankle Prosthesis Capable of Bidirectional Control Via Neural Recording and Cutaneous Stimulation in Free-Space and Walking Tasks

An interventional study of Powered Prosthesis and Prescribed Prosthesis in Amputation, sponsored by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-12.

Sponsored by Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Not applicable, Interventional, and Device feasibility

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 4 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Oct 2025, registered Mar 2026).
  • Started Oct 2025; still recruiting 1 year later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
10
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a powered ankle prosthesis capable of bidirectional control via neural recording and cutaneous stimulation, during free-space and walking tasks. This research aims to assess the sense of embodiment with the device, gait symmetry, and stability of a person with lower-extremity amputation walking with a powered ankle and their prescribed prosthesis. Findings from this study will inform future developments in bionic ankle design with optimal integration with the human body, with the goal of improving prosthetic integration into daily life.

Read the detailed description

In summary there will be 3 cohorts in this study, 1) a group of subjects that have an osseointegrated fixture with implanted electrodes, 2) a group that does not have implanted electrodes, and 3) non-amputee healthy control group to serve as a baseline comparison. In summary, the groups will be asked to wear a number of non-invasive sensors and the amputee groups will use a powered ankle prosthesis in place of their customary prosthesis. Data will be collected from various wearable sensors and other motion-capture devices as the subjects walk. At certain points during the study, the control settings of the powered prosthesis will be adjusted, either manually or automatically. Trials will also be conducted with the subjects prescribed prosthesis.

02

Conditions studied

  • Amputation

Keywords

  • prosthesis
  • neuroprosthesis
  • osseointegration
  • amputation
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the lead sponsor of 34 studies on the registry; 11 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Male or Female age 18-70. The patient must have a unilateral transtibial amputation . The patient must have the ability to ambulate at variable cadence (an expected lower extremity prosthesis functional level of K3 or above).

The patient must have adequate socket to support the device.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Women who are pregnant. Severe co morbidity, atypical skeletal anatomy, or poor general physical/mental health that, in the opinion of the Investigator, will not allow the subject to be a good study candidate (i.e. other disease processes, mental capacity, substance abuse, shortened , vulnerable patient population, >40, etc.).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Device feasibility
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
10 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Powered Prosthesis

    The subject will be provided with a powered ankle prosthesis to attach in place of their customary prosthesis. This powered prosthesis has the capability of providing active neural control of an ankle joint, and its control can be adjusted through a wireless link. The subject will be given as much time as necessary to practice using the prosthesis before the experiments begin.

    Device: Powered Prosthesis

  • Active comparator
    Prescribed Prosthesis

    The subject will be undergo the same experiments with their prescribed ankle prosthesis to act as a comparison to the standard of care.

    Device: Prescribed Prosthesis

Interventions

  • DevicePowered Prosthesis

    This powered prosthesis has the capability of providing active neural control of an ankle joint, and its control can be adjusted through a wireless link. It is motorized to provide positive power during walking.

  • DevicePrescribed Prosthesis

    Subject's prescribed prosthesis

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Kinematic Measures of Lower-Limb Biomechanics

    Quantitative analysis of lower-limb kinematics (joint angles in degrees) during level-ground walking, stair navigation, and other functional tasks.

    Time frame: Multiple sessions across 1-2 weeks

  2. Kinetic Measures of Lower-Limb Biomechanics

    Quantitative analysis of kinetic biomechanics including ground reaction and joint forces (Newtons) during level-ground walking, stair navigation, and other functional tasks.

    Time frame: Multiple sessions across 1-2 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — Data may contain identifying information.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Oct 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2030, 59 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 2, 2026
First posted
Jun 12, 2026
StartActual
Oct 21, 2025
Primary completionEst.
Sep 30, 2030
CompletionEst.
Sep 30, 2031
Last update
Jun 12, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 12, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07645729
Lead sponsor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Responsible party
Christopher Shallal (Graduate Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 12, 2026
Start date
Oct 21, 2025
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2030 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 30, 2031 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 12, 2026

Oversight

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

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