• Home
  • Study Details
Open

The effects of ankle push-off assistance on gait capacity

We are conducting a research project to study the effects of ankle push-off assistance on an individual's maximum capacity to generate ankle push-off during walking. These findings will help to guide the development of more effective exoskeleton designs.

Age & Gender

  • 18 years ~ 35 years
  • Male, Female, Gender Inclusive

Visit Availability

  • Standard business hours (M-F, 8-5)
  • Extended hours (M-F, early morning or evening)
  • Weekend hours, if needed

Location

North Carolina (Statewide)

What will be asked of you

When you visit, you will be informed of the study purpose and protocol and given time to ask questions before signing a consent form. You will then complete a series of walking trials for this study. First, you will complete a few overground walking trials to help determine your preferred walking speed. Then, you will complete walking trials on the treadmill while wearing an ankle exoskeleton. There will be a resistance applied at your waist in each of these trials, and this resistance will increase over time. You will walk until you are physically unable to maintain the speed set on the treadmill, at which point the trial will end; there is a safety harness installed to prevent any type of fall during this maximum capacity test. These treadmill trials often last around 30 seconds. In total, there will be four treadmill walking trials where the amount of push-off assistance provided by the ankle exoskeleton will vary. Finally, you will sit comfortably in a chair with one foot on a pedal capable of measuring calf muscle strength. You will push against the pedal with your maximum force three separate times and that will conclude your participation in the study.

In-person visits:
1
Total length of participation:
3 hours

Looking for Healthy Volunteers

Requirements for healthy volunteers are different than for those with a specific condition. If you are interested in becoming a healthy volunteer for this study, use the below categories to determine if you are able to participate.

Able to participate:

  • 18-35 years old
  • Be able to walk without an assistive aid (i.e., walker, cane)
  • Have the full capacity to provide informed consent

Not eligible if:

  • Lower extremity injury or fracture within the last 6 months
  • Neurological disorder of the lower extremity
  • Have a leg prosthesis
  • Existing diagnosis of cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal diseases
  • Individuals clearly lacking the capacity to provide informed consent

Contact the Team

Visit Location

Contact & Visit Location

Primary Contact

Visit Study Website

Primary Visit Location

UNC Applied Biomechanics Lab
Mary Ellen Jones Building (UNC-Chapel Hill)
116 Manning Dr, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA

Additional Study Information

Principal Investigator

Jason Franz
Biomedical Engineering - Undergraduate

Study Type

Clinical or Medical
Observational

Study Topics

Bones, Joints, Muscles
Healthy Volunteer or General Population
Movement

IRB Number

24-2055

Research for Me logo

Copyright © 2013-2022 The NC TraCS Institute, the integrated home of the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program at UNC-CH.  This website is made possible by CTSA Grant UL1TR002489 and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

Questions?

  • This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
logo for the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute
logo for UNC Health
logo for UNC School of Medicine
logo for UNC Research