iFall [Fall Detection Android App For Elderly Persons]

Injuries due to falls are among the leading causes of hospitalization in elderly persons, often resulting in a rapid decline in functionality and death. Rapid response can improve the patients outcome, but this is often lacking when the injured person lives alone and the nature of the injury complicates calling for help. This project provides an alert system for fall detection using common commercially available electronic devices to both detect the fall and alert authorities.
A common Android-based smart phone with an integrated triaxial accelerometer is used to achieve this. Data from the accelerometer is evaluated with several threshold based algorithms and position data to determine a fall. The threshold is adaptive based on user provided parameters such as: height, weight, and level of activity. These variables also adapt to the unique movements that a cellphone experiences as opposed to similar system which require users to mount accelerometers to their chest or trunk.
If a fall is suspected a notification is raised requiring the user’s response. If the user does not respond, the system alerts prespecified, social contacts with an informational message via SMS. When a contact responds with an incoming call the system commits an audible notification, automatically answers the call, and enables speakerphone. [Details]