Can a vibrating patch restore lost foot sensation?
NCT ID NCT06232512
First seen Aug 07, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026
Summary
This trial tests a wearable haptic device designed to substitute lost sensation in the feet. The device uses a pressure-sensing insole to detect foot pressure patterns and then transmits them as vibrations or heat to patches worn on areas where sensation is intact. The study includes people with reduced plantar sensation due to movement disorders, as well as healthy individuals, and aims to see if the device can accurately record and convey pressure information.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A wearable haptic device that maps foot pressure onto vibrating and heating patches worn on areas with intact sensation.
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this device could help people with reduced foot sensation regain a sense of touch, potentially improving balance and mobility.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is early and focuses on measuring pressure data accuracy, not yet on clinical outcomes. The device may not fully substitute natural sensation or benefit all users.
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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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100 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2023
- Finished
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Jun 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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18 to 85 years
- 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Able to ambulate 10 meters with or without assistance * Able and willing to give written consent and comply with study procedures Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to give written consent or comply with study procedures * Unable to perceive unsafe levels of heat in relevant areas * Has a motor complete spinal cord injury * Have transfemoral (above knee) amputation * Any condition that would prevent the safe completion of study activities, as determined by the Principal Investigator
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.