Detection of Falls Using Accelerometers and Mobile Phone Technology

Objectives: to study the sensitivity and specificity of fall detection using mobile phone technology.

Design: an experimental investigation using motion signals detected by the mobile phone.

Setting And Participants: the research was conducted in a laboratory setting, and 18 healthy adults (12 males and 6 females; age = 29 ± 8.7 years) were recruited.

Measurement: each participant was requested to perform three trials of four different types of simulated falls (forwards, backwards, lateral left and lateral right) and eight other everyday activities (sit-to-stand, stand-to-sit, level walking, walking up- and downstairs, answering the phone, picking up an object and getting up from supine). Acceleration was measured using two devices, a mobile phone and an independent accelerometer attached to the waist of the participants.

Results: Bland-Altman analysis shows a higher degree of agreement between the data recorded by the two devices. Using individual upper and lower detection thresholds, the specificity and sensitivity for mobile phone were 0.81 and 0.77, respectively, and for external accelerometer they were 0.82 and 0.96, respectively.

Conclusion: fall detection using a mobile phone is a feasible and highly attractive technology for older adults, especially those living alone. It may be best achieved with an accelerometer attached to the waist, which transmits signals wirelessly to a phone.