Mirror meets robot: a new way to train arm movement
NCT ID NCT07821346
First seen Sep 15, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at National Cheng-Kung University Hospital are testing a training system that combines mirror visual feedback with robotic arm guidance. The study enrolls 21 healthy adults aged 20 and older with no neurological or muscle disease. Participants perform arm movements under five conditions, including robot-mirror therapy, robot therapy alone, mirror therapy alone, and motor imagery, while researchers measure oxygenated hemoglobin in the brain. The goal is to see whether simultaneous visual and physical feedback creates stronger brain stimulation than either approach alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Robot-Mirror Therapy, a behavioral training that pairs a mirror illusion with robotic arm guidance
- What this could lead to
- If the combined feedback approach proves feasible, it could inform rehabilitation programs that help stroke survivors regain arm movement.
- What could go wrong
- This small study enrolls healthy older adults, not stroke patients, so any benefit for rehabilitation remains untested. Brain-imaging measures may show changes that do not translate into real-world recovery.
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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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21 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Finished
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Apr 2026
- 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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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * 20 years old above * Able to understand in Mandarin Chinese or Taiwanese * Without past medical history of skeletal muscle or neurological disease * Dominant hand is right * Normal cognitive function to understand and follow the instructions Exclusion Criteria: * Use of medications that lower the seizure threshold or use of psychotropic medications. * Having shoulder pain, dislocation, or fracture. * Having metallic implants , skull defects, or experiencing motion sickness after prolonged usage of fNIRS. * With history of mental disorders or current use of any antipsychotic medications.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Nation Cheng Kung University
Tainan, 701, Taiwan
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