Fall Detection Wearable System with Proximity-Based Alert Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems in assisted living facilities lack effective methods for real-time detection and handling of fall and perimeter breach events among residents, leading to inefficiencies in alerting and responding to incidents.
Innovation Solution
A method involving wearable devices and a computer system that detects falls and perimeter breaches by using inertial sensors, GPS, and wireless communication hubs to send alerts to care providers, allowing for real-time response coordination and incident reporting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional manual monitoring methods are used in assisted living facilities, then device complexity is reduced, but response time to fall and perimeter breach events increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the facility into multiple zones with wireless communication hubs distributed throughout. Each hub independently monitors its zone for falls and perimeter breaches, segmenting the monitoring function across multiple locations rather than using a single centralized system, thereby improving reliability through distributed detection.
Solution Approach 2:
Wearable devices worn by residents serve multiple functions: detecting falls through acceleration sensors, tracking perimeter breaches via GPS location, and communicating with the monitoring system. This multi-functionality improves detection reliability without proportionally increasing system complexity.
2Measurement precision
If real-time detection systems with multiple sensors are deployed, then detection precision and response time improve, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines GPS location data from wearable devices with wireless signal strength measurements from multiple hubs to determine resident location. This merging of multiple data sources improves location precision without requiring complex individual sensors, as the precision emerges from the combination of simpler measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
Wireless communication hubs act as intermediaries between residents' wearable devices and the central monitoring system. These hubs simplify the overall system architecture by handling local data collection and preliminary processing, reducing the complexity burden on both wearable devices and the central system while maintaining high measurement precision.
3Loss of time
If automated alert systems notify all care providers immediately, then response time improves, but information management complexity and false alarm impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system distributes alert responsibilities to specific care providers based on their proximity to the incident and assigned zones. Instead of notifying all care providers uniformly, alerts are targeted to specific individuals or teams responsible for particular areas, reducing information management complexity while maintaining rapid response times through localized notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where care providers acknowledge received alerts, and the system tracks response status. This feedback loop allows the system to manage information flow efficiently, reducing unnecessary follow-up notifications and managing alert complexity dynamically based on current response status rather than using static comprehensive notification protocols.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables timely and targeted responses to fall and perimeter breach events, improving resident safety and care provider efficiency through precise location determination and prompt notification within assisted living facilities.
Implementation Method 1
A method involving wearable devices and a computer system that detects falls and perimeter breaches by using inertial sensors
Implementation Method 2
determining a location of the resident within a facility at a time of the fall event based on proximity of the resident wearable device to a wireless communication hub arranged at a known location within the assisted living facility
Data Source
AI summary
One variation of a method for detecting and handling falls by residents of a facility includes: receiving a notification for a fall event from a first resident wearable device associated with a resident; determining a location of the resident within a facility at a time of the fall; in response to the notification, distributing a fall response prompt to a set of computing devices, each computing device associated with a care provider; and, in response to proximity of the first computing device to the first resident wearable device, authorizing edit permissions for an electronic incident report by a first care provider exclusive of a second care provider.