Identification of elders’ fall using the floor vibration

This works investigates the possibility of identifying the elders’ fall using accelerometers located on the ground. The work is divided in three parts: in the first we have designed a force platform to measure the forces generated during the fall and we have estimated the force generated by the impact of a subject with the floor using a crash test dummy. The effect of the dummy initial posture, of the presence of obstacles on the fall trajectory and of other parameters has been analysed as well. In the second part of the study we have analysed the vibration transmissibility in different dwellings. The final part of the research was focused on the estimation of the force starting from the vibration and from the impedance of the floor. Results have shown the possibility of identifying the elders’ falls in the majority of dwellings.