Robot + Virtual Reality for Cerebral Palsy
(THRIVE Trial)
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?
About 60% of children with cerebral palsy (CP) have impaired arm function. Improving arm function requires hundreds of repetitions per day, which is impossible in a single clinical visit. Thus, therapeutic exercises should be sustained in the home environment; however, the compliance in performing home exercise is low due to poor motivation, boredom, and forgetfulness. A better home program is needed. The objective of this project is to examine the effect of our developed "THRIVE" system (Therapeutic Humanoid Robot In Virtual Environment: the combination of robot with virtual reality games), which can provide a motivating and tailored upper-extremity intervention program with instant feedback, to improve arm function in children with CP at their home. The investigators believe the newly developed "THRIVE" system can increase children's engagement and motivation in home exercises as the robot is their playmate to demonstrate and correct their movements. The investigators will also interview parents and children with CP to understand their impression of using technology at home to shape the intervention. The expected outcome is that children with CP receiving "THRIVE" will improve their arm function more and have better engagement than those who receive VR alone immediately after intervention and at follow-up. The long-term goal is to have the "THRIVE" system be the optimal home exercise platform as it can provide challenging but motivating exercises to improve children's arm function while assisting parents in supervising their children with CP to complete home exercises.
Eligibility Criteria
The THRIVE trial is for children with cerebral palsy who have difficulty using their arms. It's designed to help them practice arm movements at home with a robot and virtual reality games. To join, kids must have a certain level of arm function and be able to follow the game instructions.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Treatment
Participants receive the home-based intervention using the combination of virtual reality and a humanoid robot for 8 weeks, with 3 sessions per week, each lasting around 60 minutes.
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment, with assessments at 9th and 13th weeks.
Treatment Details
Interventions
- THRIVE System
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Georgia State University
Lead Sponsor
Ohio State University
Collaborator