A Wearable Fall Detection System Based on Body Area Networks

Luigi La Blunda,Inmaculada Medina-Bulo,Lorena Gutierrez-Madronal,Matthias F. Wagner

doi:10.1109/access.2020.3032497

Abstract

Falls can have serious consequences for people, leading to restrictions in mobility or, in the worst case, to traumatic-based cases of death. To provide rapid assistance, a portable fall detection system has been developed that is capable of detecting fall situations and, if necessary, alerting emergency services without any user interaction. The prototype is designed to facilitate reliable fall detection and to classify several fall types and human activities. This solution represents a life-saving service for every person that will significantly improve assistance in the case of fall events, which are a part of daily life. Additionally, this approach facilitates independent system operation, since the system does not depend on sensor or network units located within a building structure. This article also introduces fall analysis. To guarantee functional safety, a hazard analysis method named system-theoretic accident model and processes (STAMP) is applied.

Highlights

Fall detection is gaining in importance in aging societies and in working societies and in daily activities
WILL THE INTEGRATION OF MEDICAL SENSORS IMPROVE THE RELIABILITY OF THE FALL DETECTION SYSTEM? Considering the reliability of the fall detection based on the additional integration of medical sensors, it can be concluded that they significantly increase the reliability of fall detection
There are numerous portable fall detection systems, but they are still limited in their ability to reliably detect a fall event

Summary

Introduction

Fall detection is gaining in importance in aging societies and in working societies and in daily activities. An exemplary event could be one in which a worker falls during the night shift in a factory with no one available to provide prompt assistance Another example could be a technician that falls while maintaining isolated wind turbines. People are scared to fall again; this uncertainty increases the risk of repeated falls. To counteract these life-threatening events, fast assistance is necessary due to the fact that an unconscious person may not be able to call for emergency services. The acceleration used to determine the abovementioned phases and the orientation of the person are the accelerometer readings, which are used as a reference.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion