Study of Wearable Interventions for Improving Mobility of Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Where
- Cambridge, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 9 people, planned
- Started
- 15 Dec 2025
- Expected to end
- 1 Jul 2029
- Type of study
- Interventional
- Treatments tested
- Dephy Exoboot
- Record updated
- 17 June 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 21 years to 100 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Can take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 24 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Any gender
- 21+ years of age
- Doctor-diagnosed tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis
- Self-report knee pain or stiffness on most days of the past month
- Self-report of difficulty walking due to at least one knee
- Self-report of restricted walking behavior (not engaging in 150 minutes of moderate walking a week) due to at least in part one knee
- Able to walk one block without the use of an assistive device (e.g. a cane or walker)
- Able to engage in a walking activity program with the wearable intervention for approximately 30 minutes using standing or sitting rests as needed
Who cannot take part
- Planning knee, hip, ankle or back surgery within the next 6-months
- Unable to walk at least 10 minutes in the community due to an existing cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, or neurological condition
- Inflammatory arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, scleroderma, Lymes Disease, Lupus)
- Lower extremity/foot peripheral neuropathy or other sensory disorders
- Diagnosed with vestibular or other balance disorder that impact walking
- Unstable cardiovascular disease
- Unstable respiratory disease
- History of past or current deep vein thrombosis
- Ankle or hip osteoarthritis
- Bilateral total knee replacements
- Use of an assistive device (e.g., walker or cane) in home or in the community
- Self-reported fall within the past 6-months that resulted in limitations in daily activities
- Open wounds or active skin irritation on the leg shank
- Open wounds or active ulcers of either feet
- Active back pain that limits walking
- Use of supplemental oxygen to walk
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 21 and 100 years old?
Where in United States
- MIT Media LabCambridge, United StatesContact: Christopher Shallal, B.S.Taking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects an estimated 654 million people over age 40 world-wide. In the United States, approximately 16% of adults over the age of 40 have knee OA. Pain, activity limitations and disability are common symptoms. Exercise is widely recommended as a non-invasive, first line strategy for people with knee OA. Yet, less than 1/3 of adults with knee OA meet recommended levels of physical activity, and rates are even lower among people who are overweight. Furthermore, adherence to evidence-based structured programs is poor once the therapeutic support is removed. End stage disease is treated by total joint replacement. Under-active people with knee OA would benefit from general walking activity, even if joint replacement surgery is expected; however, walking is difficult and motivation is low. Thus, people with knee OA encounter a difficult paradox: exercise could help decrease pain and improve function but doing so can be difficult and may not always be possible. There is a tremendous need to address this situation. This is a small device-feasibility study evaluating the Dephy ExoBoot, a wearable powered exoskeleton, in individuals with knee OA. The study assesses whether the device can reliably deliver positive assistance during walking and is tolerated across walking tasks. Additional measures, including changes in knee loading and walking speed with versus without the device, are also collected.
The group in the trial
- Wearable Intervention for Individuals with Knee OsteoarthritisTreatment being tested
Participants wear the Dephy ExoBoot, a powered wearable exoskeleton, while completing walking tasks. Non-invasive sensors and motion capture monitor gait and device performance, and device assistance settings may be adjusted during sessions.
Treatment: Dephy Exoboot
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07652437, who can take part
- Record updated
- 17 June 2026