Magnetic beads could give amputees Mind-Controlled bionic legs
NCT ID NCT06391697
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a new system that uses magnetic beads implanted in leg muscles to help people with below-knee amputations control a bionic ankle-foot prosthesis. The beads track muscle movement in real time, sending signals to a robotic leg. Up to 7 participants will receive the implants and be followed for 24 months to see if the system works safely and improves prosthetic control.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- e-OPRA Implant System and Magnetic Bead Tracking System (implantable devices)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to more natural, brain-controlled bionic legs for amputees, improving mobility and quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early feasibility study with only 7 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The devices require surgery and may have risks like infection or implant failure.
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 7 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2024
- Expected to finish
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May 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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22 to 65 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: 1. Male or Female age 22-65 at the time of surgery. 2. The subject must already have been implanted with the e-OPRA Implant System at the transtibial level or must have an existing unilateral or bilateral transtibial amputation or a medical condition requiring performance of a unilateral or bilateral transtibial amputation with a minimum of 8 cm of residual tibia after amputation, such that the subject will be implanted with the e-OPRA Implant System. (OPTION 1) 3. If the subject does not already have the e-OPRA Implant System, the subject must have undergone independent consultation with at least two lower extremity surgical specialists to ensure they have exhausted all limb salvage options prior to undergoing amputation, as well as a psychiatric evaluation to ensure appropriate capacity and volition. (OPTION 2) 4. The patient must have the ability to ambulate at variable cadence (an expected lower extremity prosthesis functional level of K3 or above, as confirmed by study investigators). 5. The patient must have adequate soft tissue bulk and muscle mass present in the operative limb to support appropriate wound healing. 6. In the opinion of the investigator, normal cognitive function and absence of any physical limitations, addictive diseases or underlying medical conditions that may preclude the patient from being a good study candidate. 7. Willingness, ability and commitment to participate in baseline and follow-up evaluations for the full length of the study. 8. Willingness and ability to provide informed consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects with any active skin disease in the tested limb. 2. Subjects with severe co morbidity, atypical skeletal anatomy, or poor general physical/mental health that, in the opinion of the Investigator, will not allow the subject to be a good study candidate (i.e. other disease processes, mental capacity, substance abuse, shortened life. expectancy, vulnerable patient population, BMI \>40, etc.). 3. For subjects who have not yet been implanted with the e-OPRA Implant System, subjects who would have less than 2 mm of remaining cortex bone available around the implant, if implanted. 4. Subjects with advanced atrophic muscle and/or compromised soft tissue coverage in the operative limb. 5. Subjects with evidence of or a documented history of severe peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus (type I or type II), skin diseases, neuropathy or neuropathic disease and severe phantom pain, or osteoporosis, such that, in the opinion of the investigator, will not allow the subject to be a good study candidate. 6. Subjects with a history of systemically administered corticosteroids, immune-suppressive therapy or chemotherapy drugs within six (6) months of implant surgery. 7. Subjects with a known need of future MRIs. 8. Subjects currently involved in another clinical study where that participation may conflict or interfere with the treatment, follow-up or results of this clinical study. 9. Active smokers will be excluded from candidacy; those patients willing to undergo tobacco cessation will need to be completely abstinent from tobacco use for at least 6 weeks preoperatively. 10. Women who are pregnant, lactating or planning a pregnancy during the first twelve (12) months of the post-surgical follow-up. 11. Subject has an allergy to any component of the device. 12. Concurrent illness, disability or geographical residence would hamper attendance at required study visits.
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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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Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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MIT Media Lab
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a motorized knee help amputees walk more? trial puts it to the test
- Can we predict prosthetic success? a study seeks answers
- Can bionic limbs feel real? a trial tests touch feedback for amputees
- Can a common anesthetic dampen phantom limb pain?
- Can tiny electrodes give amputees a better grip on bionic limbs?
- FitBit coaching may help amputees walk more after surgery