Can a Self-Balancing exoskeleton make daily tasks more satisfying than a wheelchair?
NCT ID NCT07828912
First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Summary
Researchers compare how people with paraplegia perform and feel about four daily tasks when using a self-balancing exoskeleton versus a manual wheelchair. Five participants attend daily sessions where they do tasks like making coffee or brushing teeth with each device. The study measures satisfaction and performance to see if the exoskeleton offers advantages for everyday activities.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a self-balancing personal exoskeleton called EVE
- What this could lead to
- If the exoskeleton helps people with paraplegia do daily tasks more satisfyingly than a wheelchair, it could point toward home use of personal exoskeletons for standing and moving around.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small study of five people, so results may not apply broadly. Exoskeletons can be tiring, require good upper-body strength, and may not fit everyone's body or daily routine.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 5 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Clinical presentation of paraplegia at a level between T5 and L5 inclusive, AIS A to C inclusive * Secondary to a spinal cord injury (traumatic or non-traumatic) occurring more than 6 months ago, clinically and functionally stable * Using a manual wheelchair for indoor and outdoor mobility * Able to tolerate 45 minutes of standing per day * Anthropometric compatibility with the device (weight, height, lower limb measurements, joint ranges of motion); * Whether or not they have previous experience of using a PPE; * Participants who have signed the written consent form to take part in the study following full and informed consent * Participants covered by a social security scheme (beneficiary or eligible dependant) other than the AME. Exclusion Criteria: * Osteoporosis with a T-score \< -2.5 at the femoral neck, as shown by a bone densitometry scan carried out within the last 12 months. * History of osteoporotic fracture(s) * Condition or treatment causing secondary osteoporosis (known thyroid disorder, known hypogonadism, known chronic gastrointestinal disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), corticosteroid therapy, use of bisphosphonates for more than three months, early menopause (before the age of 45), abnormal calcium metabolism test results) * Progressive intercurrent conditions: pressure ulcers, infection, venous thrombosis * Cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions contraindicating exercise (e.g. heart failure or coronary artery disease within the last 6 months) * Untreated or uncontrolled hypertension (SBP \> 140 mmHg; DBP \> 90 mmHg); * Unresolved orthostatic hypotension (SBP \< 90 mmHg; DBP \< 60 mmHg) or deemed contraindicated by the investigator; * Unconsolidated or unstable bone lesions of the spine, limbs or pelvis * Known syringomyelia, as determined by medical assessment * Progressive osteoma, as determined by medical assessment * Severe spasticity of the adductor muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps and triceps surae (greater than 3 on the modified Ashworth scale) * Decompensated psychiatric or cognitive disorders that may interfere with the proper use of the device * Stoma * Wearing of an active implantable device An uncorrectable leg-length discrepancy of more than 2 cm when using additional corrective aids * Uncontrolled autonomic dysreflexia * Skin lesions at points of contact with the PPE (e.g. bruising, skin abrasions, etc.) * Need to use a respiratory support device whilst using Eve * Inability to operate the device effectively using a manual control interface, due to a functional and/or cognitive impairment, based on the ability to move the joystick in all directions, press and identify the buttons on the manual control interface. * Incorrect positioning of the participant in the device (excessive pressure on the support point). * Participant deprived of liberty (by court order or administrative decision) * Participant of legal age subject to a legal protection order or unable to give informed consent * Participation in another ongoing clinical trial * Pregnant or breastfeeding women, or women of childbearing age not using contraception * Lack of proficiency in spoken and written French
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Centre de Kerpape
Ploemeur, 56270, France
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