A high-tech glove and nerve zaps may reawaken stroke-affected hands

NCT ID NCT05621980

Completed Disease control Sponsor: North Carolina State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.

First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests a new rehabilitation approach for people who have had a stroke and have lasting hand impairment. Participants wear a soft robotic glove that senses and assists finger movements, combined with targeted electrical stimulation of nerves, while practicing finger movements on a virtual keyboard. The goal is to improve fine motor control and hand function. The study involves 15 training sessions over 5 weeks, with hand function measured before, during, and after training, and again one month later.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: A combination of a soft robotic glove (PneuGlove) with sensors and pneumatic resistance, plus functional electrical stimulation (FES) to assist finger movements during virtual keyboard training.
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could offer a new rehabilitation method to help stroke survivors regain fine hand control and independence in daily activities.
What could go wrong: This is a very small early-stage trial (10 participants), so results may not apply broadly. The intervention is complex and requires multiple sessions, and individual outcomes may vary.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

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

10 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2023

Finished

Jul 2025

Lead sponsor

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

21 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * A single, unilateral stroke 2-18 months prior to enrollment * Moderate to mild hand impairment, as determined by a rating of Stage 4-6 on the Stage of Hand section of the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment * Visual capacity to discern specific shapes on the computer screen * Capacity to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Rigid contractures in the joints of the upper limbs, or orthopedic issues precluding joint movement * Hemispatial neglect (as assessed by the Behavioral Inattention Test) * Excessive pain in the paretic upper limb (visual analog scale of shoulder pain \< 70)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

stroke disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

STROKE

Contacts and locations

Locations

Hand Rehabilitation Lab

Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695, United States

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