Non-Invasive Fall Detection System for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive, Neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of dopamine neurons in the brain. The PD patients often fall and cause further damages to their physical conditions because of the abnormal gaits such as shuffling and festinating steps or freezing of gait. The objective behind creating a fall detection system is to provide an ambulatory gait analysis system for preventing the fall and thereby help PD patients, from further regression and physical injury due to fall. This system can also facilitate long term monitoring of motor abnormalities in PD patients during daily activities. Once the system detects abnormal gaits, auditory cues will be given to the PD patients and caregivers by their side and thus help patients prevent falls in their daily living. This paper specifies a Single Gyroscope with Standard Deviation Algorithm using data from single gyroscope attached to the shank of the body used for the detection and prevention of fall in PD patients. The sensor MPU6050 used in the system is a motion sensor having gyroscope and accelerometer with the advantages of being highly portable, low cost and wireless nature.