I have an idea of detecting children falling. I need to use a sensor that can detect falling. What sensors do you recommend?
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Could you elaborate a little or give us some context? It happens that children fall and they usually get up again or they cry a little and an adult consoles them and helps them up. Sometimes the lesson has to be repeated a time or two, but usually they learn to be more careful. What problem is your idea trying to solve? How would the child carry the sensor and associated electronics?
I designed a helmet for only protection, but I want to add some features that can make it more useful. I would add a sensor that can detect the child falling and send an SOS message to his parents. I need the sensor to detect only the harmful falling or only when the child falls to the ground. What do you recommend?
I am focusing on children under 3 years and children who have difficulty walking, or children who might have some mental disabilities. I will add a GPS with it so I only need a sensor.
Ok, interesting. I had wondered whether disabilities might be a factor. So:
- how do you define "harmful falling" vs any other kind of falling?
- how would YOU determine one from the other?
- what would the sensor need to do differently to detect "harmful falling"?
- I take it that the parent is likely to be in the near vicinity? E.g. at home?
Actually, I am in the starting point, and my experience in Arduino isn't that good, so about whether the parents are near or not. I will program an app that can show the parents where their child is; this worked when the messages did not reach them.
I am searching now about the sensor and whether I can make it recognize the difference between harmful falling and not harmful. but the point is that i need the sensor to detect only when the child fall in the ground, not any unusual movement like when he plays in the swing.
An accurate, inexpensive, fall detector is the pitch of the child's cry. Most have these pre-installed at conception. If you do not know the cry of your child, seek other help.
That's a usual movement.
Can you give a list of the various way a child can fall, then perhaps there is something common to all of them that may suggest a sensor that will work?
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Exactly. Before we can design a solution we need to understand the problem.
For example, an accelerometer might detect movement in the x,y and z axis, but what combination of movement determines a fall as opposed to normal play? Is it defined by the speed of movement on a particular axis, or the length of time that there is no movement after a sudden acceleration or some other factor or combination of factors? I don't know the answer, but whatever sensors are used, would it be possible to determine that from the data the sensors are producing?
A microphone might be able to detect sounds but how do you distinguish a cry for any other sound? A cry of joy from a cry of laughter?
It seems to me that WHAT technology to use is not the main issue here, but HOW it night be deployed to achieve a practical solution and whether that is even possible.
Hire some people and outfit them with Michelin Man suits and your device in a helmet. Blindfold them and set them loose in an area loaded with tripping/fall hazards.
Log the helmet data and develop profiles of fall types.
YMMV
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An accelerometer module from a reputable supplier like Sparkfun, Adafruit, etc. For example this one.
Most modern ones, including the one linked above, have "free fall" detection circuitry built is, as (counterintuitively) during free fall, the total acceleration is close to zero.
I had a similar problem only this time with wardens / nurses in a mental asylum. We had to detect when a warden fell, which he could be if attacked by the inmates.
We used to use a mercury switch, which worked very well until they got banned.
So we tried a tilt switch, which was not a reliable as a mercury, but using several at different orientations it could be made almost as good.
We were also beginning to experiment with accelerometers, which were new at this time. But I left that job before those were completed.
Thank you for your response; it makes me think deep and deep. What comes to mind is that we may use any fall detector, but! we adjust the algorithms used. For example, we may add a timer, a distance detector between the child and the ground, and how the orientation goes from upright to horizontal. These can achieve the solution. If anyone has more ideas about defining the fall level, you can help me.
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