Technological Safety Net for Fall-Prone Elderly
From: ICT Results - 12/21/2009

A new system being developed by European researchers in the SensAction-AAL
project uses a wearable, wireless-enabled device equipped with motion sensors
to monitor older adults susceptible to falls. The information collected
through the device can be used to help the elderly perform rehabilitation
exercises to improve their balance and mobility, evaluate the progression of
a disorder such as Parkinson's, or alert someone in the event of a fall.
"Falls in which a person does not get up, so-called unrecovered falls, are
usually a sign that they need immediate assistance. But detecting them
remotely is not easy," says University of Bologna researcher Lorenzo Chiari.
"The main challenge is developing a software algorithm that can differentiate
between an unrecovered fall and something less serious." Chiari says the
SensAction-AAL software is able to detect unrecovered falls with a high
degree of accuracy and send an SMS or email alert, making it a potentially
life-saving device in the event a user suffers a serious incident. The
software is embedded in the portable device, designed to be worn around the
waist, which also contains the gyroscopes and accelerometers used to perform
motion and position sensing. Bluetooth or Zigbee wireless communications
technology is used to connect the device to a user's or doctor's computer and
then to a secure database and server. 

Read the entire article at:
http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm?section=news&tpl=article&BrowsingType=Features&ID=91073

Links:
SensAction-AAL website
http://www.sensaction-aal.eu/

Lorenzo Chiari
http://myprofile.cos.com/lchiari