Hypoesthesia
Conditions
Keywords
Plantar Sensation
Brief summary
The study will explore the use of a haptic device for sensory substitution in individuals with a movement disorder that has caused loss of plantar sensation. The haptic device consists of two components. The first element is a flexible insole with embedded pressure-sensing elements that transmit the spatial patterns of applied foot pressure over time. The second element is a haptic receiver with embedded actuators that vibrate or heat up in proportion to the transmitted pressure patterns, thus substituting the patient's lost plantar sensation.
Detailed description
OBJECTIVES: 1. Identify a systematic, methodical approach to determine whether different users of our haptic device can perceive and use vibrational and thermal feedback in order to correct their posture in real-time. 2. Evaluate whether a haptic device can be used to guide users to maintain a prescribed pattern of pressure on their feet during standing and walking. 3. Investigate whether a haptic device can improve outcomes on motor evaluation tasks.
Interventions
DEVICEHaptic Device
Provides sensory substitution by mapping pressure from the insole sensor onto a corresponding vibrating and heating patch to be worn where more sensation is present.
Sponsors
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics
Northwestern University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
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
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure data from the insoles | During the intervention | The primary outcome is to use the pressure-sensitive insole to ensure that we can accurately record spatial and temporal pressure data from a wide variety of healthy and non-healthy individuals. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORArun Jayaraman, PT, PhD
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Outcome results
None listed