Basic human motion tracking using a pair of gyro + accelerometer MEMS devices

A novel experimental setup using accelerometer and gyroscope sensors embedded on a single board along with a distance-based pattern recognition algorithm is presented for accurately identifying basic movements for possible application in gaming using a mobile platform. As an example, we considered some basic step sequences in the popular dance game (e.g., dance dance revolution), and could detect these movements with a reasonably high probability. We envision that the experimental results presented in this paper will motivate future research in the world of mobile gaming applications using advanced smart phones with a dual module design. It is remarked that the same technology may be used to help the elderly stay at home. This technology can be applied to track and monitor the movements of elderly people to guarantee they are getting up, to detect falls, or to monitor electric wheel chairs so that they may go outside alone thereby assisting the elderly while they live independently in their own homes where they feel safe.