Robot suit aims to boost both walking and brain power in MS patients
NCT ID NCT04855825
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether a wearable robotic exoskeleton can improve both walking and thinking in people with multiple sclerosis who have trouble walking. Ten participants will either use the robotic suit or receive standard walking therapy for eight sessions. Researchers will measure walking endurance, mental processing speed, and brain changes using MRI scans.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Robotic exoskeleton (Ekso-GT)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new therapy to help people with MS walk better and think more clearly.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early study with only 10 people, so results may not apply widely. The device may not improve cognition or mobility more than standard therapy.
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 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2017
- 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 75 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: * Be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. * Be determined by the study staff to have moderate to severe difficulty walking but still be able to walk while using the robotic exoskeleton. * Have some difficulty thinking and problem solving as determined by my performance on a special test that I will take during the screening visit. * Be between the ages of 18 and 75. * Be free from flair ups of my MS Symptoms for at least one month prior to testing. * Discuss with study staff how to maintain a constant level of my spasticity medication (for example baclofen) throughout the study. * Be able to walk (with the use of one or more assistive device if needed). * Have English as my primary language. * Be able to physically fit into the exoskeleton device: height between 60 and 76", weight under 220 lbs. * Be able to tolerate upright standing for 30 minutes with assistance if needed. * Have normal joint range of motion for walking as determined by study staff. * Have sufficient strength to use the hemiwalker, bilateral canes or walker while wearing the RE. * Have stable blood pressure. * Be willing and able to give informed consent. * Be able and willing to comply with study procedures and follow directions and commands, verbal instructions, and follow-up requirements. Exclusion Criteria: * Have a history of head injury, stroke, seizures, or any other significant neurological history other than MS. * Have a high degree of difficulty in thinking and problem solving that prevents me from participating in the study as determined by my performance on a special test taken during the screening visit. * Be currently taking steroids, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, and/or neuroleptics as determined by study staff review of my medications. * Be pregnant. * Be completely reliant on a wheelchair. * Have joint contracture or spasticity of any limb that limits normal range of motion during walking with assistive devices as determined by study staff. * Have skin issues that would prevent wearing the RE. * Have pressure sore stage 2 or higher located in an area that would negatively affect weight bearing, harness fit, or therapist assistance. * Have orthopedic issues or history that will interfere with walking or limit the range of motion of the lower limbs (e.g., knee replacement, inflammation) * Have been hospitalized for heart attack, heart surgery or acute heart failure within 3 months of enrollment in study. * Have any other medical conditions that my doctor or physical therapist feels would affect my ability to use the robotic device. * Have a pacemaker or other implanted electrical device, brain stimulator, aneurysm clip (metal clips on the wall of a large artery), metallic prostheses (including metal pins and rods, heart valves, and internal hearing aids \[cochlear implants\]), permanent eyeliner, implanted delivery pumps, or shrapnel fragments. * Have dental implants- I should discuss any dental implants with the investigators. * Have been told by my doctor that it is unsafe for me to have a regular MRI as part of my medical care.
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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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Kessler Foundation
RECRUITINGWest Orange, New Jersey, 07052, United States
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