Fall detection using ultra-wideband positioning

Falls are a major health problem in our aging society. Fall detection systems are aimed at automatically sending an alarm in case of falls. Unfortunately most of the systems currently available, which use accelerometric sensors, are characterized by a relatively large number of false alarms. In fact, many activities of daily living may produce fall-like acceleration signals. We propose a method that uses ultra-wideband positioning to track the movements of the user and detect falls. Preliminary results show that the approach is reliable in detecting falls and simple postures.