Fall detection system for elderly by MEMS accelerometer and SMS alert
A major problem in the elderlyare the negative effects of prolonged unattended stay after a fall. The proposed solution helps to reduce the negative consequences of falls through a portable noninvasive low-cost electronic system. The system, properly atta
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Abstract— A major problem in the elderly are the negative effects of prolonged unattended stay after a fall. The proposed solution helps to reduce the negative consequences of falls through a portable noninvasive low-cost electronic system. The system, properly attached to the person, has the capacity to detect falls using MEMS accelerometers and generate an alert by sending a short text message through the public cellular network. The project includes the full design and the implementation of a biomedical portable prototype equipment using a reliable Atmel microcontroller, a medical-grade Bluetooth module and functional tests to evaluate the global effectiveness. The results were excellent, with sensitivity of 1 and specificity of 0.77 in several typical fall and not-fall sceneries.
the elder). These commands instruct the local phone to generate SMS alerts by the public cellular network to previously selected recipients.
Keywords— fall detection, MEMS, acceleration sensor, SMS alerts, the elderly.
I.
INTRODUCTION
In Latin America and the Caribbean the population over 60 years old is steadily increasing. Currently, there are in the region 63.1 million of older adults and it is estimated that for the next 38 years this figure will triple to 187 million, representing 25% of the regional population [1]. In old age, people face different ways of vulnerability by progressive biological deterioration associated with health problems, demonstrated as a deficit of functional abilities and autonomy. In this sense, among the most feared accidents in the life of an elderly are falls [2]. Currently, various electronic systems to detect falls in elderly individuals are available. These devices are commercialized worldwide. However, in Latin American countries, its use has not been sufficiently adopted because of its high cost [3]. The aim of this study was to design and develop a portable, low-cost, autonomous, wireless, lightweight, fully functional biomedical prototype for fall detection capable of sending SMS alerts by cellular network. Besides, the system's effectiveness was assessed by testing it in various typical scenarios of falls and daily activities. In Fig. 1 a diagram of the proposed system is shown. This consists of an electronic circuit attached to the thorax of the person, with a MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) acceleration sensor capable to detect falls and impacts. In addition, a processor to constantly read the acceleration data is available to determine fall events. In such cases, the processor sends AT commands via a Bluetooth link to a local mobile phone (near
Fig. 1 Schematic of the fall detection system with sending alerts II.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A. Data acquisition system This comprises a three-axis MEMS accelerometer, Analog Devices ADXL345, and an Atmel ATMEGA88L microcontroller, both surface mounted and with low power consumption (Fig. 2). The MEMS measured accelerations in the range of +/- 16g (g = 9.8m/s2). The microcontroller used is mid-range, since the proposed system does not requ
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