Fall detection and location using ZigBee sensor network

Falls are one of the major health risks that affect the quality of life among elderly by producing fear and resulting in decrease in mobility and activity. In this paper, a novel fall detection and location technology based on ZigBee sensor network is proposed to support independence and safety of elderly people. We present a simple scheme by which fall detection and localization simultaneously is possible with low energy and computation complexity costs. In our proposal, we use a single, waist-mounted, sensor to detect falls. We use fixed beacons placed in three dimensional environments, whose signals are used by sensor to compute their relative position. The main idea is that the waist-mounted sensor estimate the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) from the known beacons and estimate their position by means of a three-dimensional positioning method. The altitude threshold will be determined to distinguish between falls and activities of daily living.