---
title: Exoskeleton improves balance while walking
nct_id: NCT07567482
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: "Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais"
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07567482"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07567482"
last_fetched: "2026-05-14T14:01:51.407Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Exoskeleton improves balance while walking

**Goal (in five words):** Exoskeleton improves balance while walking

**Official Title:** Exoskeleton-Assisted Mobility in Aging and in Parkinson's Disease: A Mixed-Methods Study of Effectiveness and Acceptability

**Trial ID:** [NCT07567482](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07567482)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais
- **Target Enrollment:** 26 participants
- **Start Date:** 2026-04-30
- **Completion Date:** 2026-10
- **Conditions:** Parkinson's Disease (PD), Healthy Aging
- **Interventions:** Exoskeleton
- **Intervention Types:** DEVICE

## Summary For Families

The goal is to find out whether a wearable robotic exoskeleton can make walking easier, less tiring, and safer for people with Parkinson's who struggle with gait, balance, or endurance as they age. Participants will wear a lower limb powered exoskeleton that senses steps and supplies targeted assistance to hip and knee movements, so it augments weakened muscles, stabilizes gait, and reduces the effort needed to walk; researchers will track walking speed, endurance, and users' experiences to judge effectiveness and acceptability. Eligible people with Parkinson's must have idiopathic PD, be able to walk at least 30 minutes, be Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 to 4, be age 50 or older, and have no severe vascular leg disease, implantable life-sustaining devices like pacemakers, severe osteoporosis or high fracture risk, major lower-limb injuries, or significant cognitive impairment (MoCA < 21). The study also includes healthy older adults aged 65 and up who can walk 30 minutes and meet the same safety and height requirements, since the device is not suitable for people under about 152 cm tall.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 50 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Participants with Parkinson's disease

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ability to walk for at least 30 minutes with or without minimal aid
* Diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease
* Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 to 4

Exclusion Criteria:

* Height smaller than 152 cm
* Severe vascular conditions of the lower limbs that may limit mobility or pose a risk.
* Presence of any implantable or external life-sustaining medical device such as a pacemaker
* Severe osteoporosis or high risk of fractures
* Contra-indication to the required physical effort
* Severe cognitive impairment (MoCA \< 21)
* Presence of neurological disorders, lower-limb injuries, or other conditions interfering with mobility, other than Parkinson's disease.

Healthy elderly participants without Parkinson's disease

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ability to walk for at least 30 minutes with or without minimal aid
* Age ≥ 65 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

* Height smaller than 152 cm
* Severe vascular conditions of the lower limbs that may limit mobility or pose a risk.
* Presence of any implantable or external life-sustaining medical device such as a pacemaker
* Severe osteoporosis or high risk of fractures
* Contra-indication to the required physical effort
* Severe cognitive impairment (MoCA \< 21)
* Presence of neurological disorders, lower-limb injuries, or other conditions interfering with mobility
```

## Locations (1)

- TechCare Research Lab - CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada _(45.4772, -75.7016)_
  - Alexandra Potvin-Desrochers, PhD — (CONTACT) — 819-966-6200 — alexandra.potvin-desrochers@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
  - Lucas Michaud, PhD — (CONTACT) — 819-966-6200 — 07.labotechsoins@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
  - Alexandra Potvin-Desrochers, PhD — (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

## Central Contacts

- Alexandra Potvin-Desrochers, PhD — (CONTACT) — 819-966-6200 — alexandra.potvin-desrochers@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
- Lucas Michaud, PhD — (CONTACT) — 819-966-6200 — 07.labotechsoins@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07567482*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07567482*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07567482*