Sains Malaysiana 44(12)(2015): 1745–1750

A Study on Body Movement Analysis by the Foot Slip Pattern in a Fall

(Suatu Kajian mengenai Analisis Pergerakan Badan melalui Pola Gelinciran Kaki sewaktu Jatuh)

SEONG-HYUN KIM ¹ & DONG-WOOK KIM*²

¹Department of Medical & Electronic Device, Chungbuk Provincial College, 15 Daehak-gil, Okcheon-eup, Okcheon-gun, Chungbuk, South Korea

²Division of Biomedical Engineering and Research Center for Healthcare & Welfare Instrument for the Aged, Chonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-daero, Deokjin-gu

Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk, South Korea

Received: 2 September 2014/Accepted: 17 August 2015

ABSTRACT

A fracture, which mostly results from a fall, is fatal for the elderly. A fall occurred when a person cannot maintain the body position. Most falls occurred when a person walks on a slippery surface or trips over an object on the ground during a gait. Most people try to avoid falls instinctively and fall when their attempt fails. As such, this study investigated the difference between two movements- a movement to avoid falls and a forward-falling movement without a fall-avoiding movement- by analyzing the body movements of the subjects. A fast-moving fall-guiding device with a pneumatic actuator was used to guide falls. The movement of the device could simulate a foot slip that may happen during daily activities. A three-axis acceleration sensor and a Bluetooth module were used to avoid disturbing the body movement during a fall as a wire sensor or a movement analysis system does.

Keywords: Body behavior; fall; fall detection; foot movement; wireless sensor

ABSTRAK

Patah, yang kebanyakannya akibat jatuh boleh membawa maut untuk warga tua. Kejatuhan ini berlaku apabila seseorang tidak dapat mengekalkan kedudukan badan. Kebanyakan kejatuhan berlaku apabila seseorang berjalan pada permukaan yang licin atau terlanggar objek sewaktu sedang berjalan. Kebanyakan orang akan cuba untuk mengelak daripada jatuh dan jatuh apabila cubaan mereka gagal. Oleh yang demikian, kajian ini mengkaji perbezaan antara dua pergerakan- untuk mengelakkan jatuh dan gerakan jatuh ke hadapan tanpa gerakan untuk mengelak kejatuhan- dengan menganalisis pergerakan badan subjek. Alat bantuan untuk mengesan pergerakan kejatuhan pantas dengan penggerak pneumatik digunakan untuk pemanduan jatuh. Pergerakan alat tersebut boleh mensimulasikan gelinciran kaki yang berlaku semasa aktiviti harian. Penderia pecutan tiga-paksi dan modul Bluetooth digunakan untuk mengelak daripada mengganggu pergerakan badan semasa kejatuhan, seperti dilakukan penderia wayar atau sistem analisis pergerakan.

Kata kunci: Jatuh; penderia tanpa wayar; pengesan kejatuhan; pergerakan kaki; perilaku badan

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*Corresponding author; email: biomed@jbnu.ac.kr