Automatic fall detection using wearable biomedical signal measurement terminal

In our study, we developed a mobile waist-mounted device which can monitor the subject´s acceleration signal and detect the fall events in real-time with high accuracy and automatically send an emergency message to a remote server via CDMA module. When fall event happens, the system also generates an alarm sound at 50Hz to alarm other people until a subject can sit up or stand up. A Kionix KXM52-1050 tri-axial accelerometer and a Bellwave BSM856 CDMA standalone modem were used to detect and manage fall events. We used not only a simple threshold algorithm but also some supporting methods to increase an accuracy of our system (nearly 100% in laboratory environment). Timely fall detection can prevent regrettable death due to long-lie effect; therefore increase the independence of elderly people in an unsupervised living environment.