Smart robotic sleeve reads muscle signals to restore arm movement after stroke
NCT ID NCT03752775
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This trial tests a new clothing-like robotic arm that detects muscle signals to help people who have had a stroke move their arm and hand. The device supports coordinated movements of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers during 20 one-hour training sessions. The study includes both people who had a stroke recently (subacute) and those who had one more than six months ago (chronic). The goal is to see if this approach improves arm function and reduces stiffness.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- clothing-like robotic arm (exoneuromusculoskeleton)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to help stroke survivors regain arm and hand function, potentially improving daily life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage trial with 45 participants, so results may not apply to all stroke survivors. The device may not work for everyone or could be uncomfortable.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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 45 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2018
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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 70 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: For the subacute groups: * Two weeks after the onset of stroke, however less than 0.5 year * Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)\>21 * Able to sit up for at least 1 hour * Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) upper limb \<30 * Modified Ashworth Score (MAS) at the elbow, wrist and fingers \<3 * Detectable EMG on the target driving muscles (i.e., 3 times of the standard deviation above the baseline) For the chronic device assisted group: * At least 0.5 year after the onset of stroke * Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)\>21 * Able to sit up for at least 1 hour * Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) upper limb \<30 * Modified Ashworth Score (MAS) at the elbow, wrist and fingers \<3 * Detectable EMG on the target driving muscles (i.e., 3 times of the standard deviation above the baseline) Exclusion Criteria: Subjects will be excluded if they do not meet the above inclusion criteria, or had the following conditions: * Currently pregnant * Dysphasia (language deficiency) * Post-stroke neglect * Pacemaker implantation, * Involved in drug studies, other clinical trials, or concurrent medication/occupational/physical treatments on the upper limb * The overall medical condition not suitable for the training (e.g., severe cardiac problem, unstable blood pressure, etc.).
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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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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
RECRUITINGHong Kong, China
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