The Effect of a Wearable Hip Assist Robot on Cardiopulmonary Metabolic Efficiency During Stair Ascent in Elderly Adults

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The aim of this study was to identify the assistance effect of the new wearable hip assist robot, gait enhancing mechatronic system (GEMS) developed by Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd., Korea) during stair ascent by comparing the energy expenditure of elderly adults with and without the GEMS.

Detailed Description
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Primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the effect of a wearable hip assist robot on cardiopulmonary metabolic efficiency during stair ascent in elderly adults. Fifteen elderly adults participated in this study. The stair ascent trials were designed to climb stairs from the first basement level to the fourth floor of the Proton Therapy Center, Samsung Medical Center, Korea. The metabolic energy expenditure was measured using a portable cardiopulmonary metabolic system (Cosmed K4b², Rome, Italy) while participants performed randomly assigned two different conditions consecutively:, free ascent without the GEMS (NoGEMS) or robot-assisted ascent with the GEMS (GEMS). Participants rested for 10 minutes between the two trial conditions.

Official Title
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The Effect of a Wearable Hip Assist Robot on Cardiopulmonary Metabolic Efficiency During Stair Ascent in Elderly Adults

Conditions
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Gait, Unsteady, Health Behavior

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Wearable hip assist robot


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Elderly adults who absence of a history of musculoskeletal or central nervous system diseases High levels of physical performance (SPPB > 8) Exclusion Criteria: Elderly adults who absence of the ability to walk independently due to visual field defects, fractures, or severe muscle weakness Severe dizziness that might lead to falls Cognitive disorders that might be difficult to understand accurately in this study

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 65 Years
Maximum Age: 84 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Elderly adults<br>Stair climbing with and without a wearable hip assist robot | Device: Wearable hip assist robot<br>* All participants climbed stairs from the first basement level to the fourth floor of the Proton Therapy Center, Samsung Medical Center, Korea with and without a wearable hip assist robot. During climbing stairs, the metabolic energy expenditure of all participants was measured using a portable cardiopulmonary metabolic system (Cosmed K4b², Rome, Italy).<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change on metabolic energy expenditure in GEMS condition compared with NoGEMS condition | All participants stood in a comfortable position for 5 minutes to obtain baseline variables before stair ascent. Participants were then asked to climb stairs from the first basement level to the fourth floor of the Proton Therapy Center, Samsung Medical Center, Korea, in a step-over-step manner under two different conditions, GEMS and NoGEMS. The GEMS and NoGEMS conditions were conducted in a random order, and just before the second condition, participants stood for 2～3 minutes to obtain baseline variables once more. | 1 hour | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Wearable hip assist robot, Elderly adult, Metabolic energy expenditure, Stair ascent