A Comparison of Machine Learning Algorithms for Fall Detection using Wearable Sensors

The proportion of people 60 years old and above is expected to double globally to reach 22 % by 2050. This creates societal challenges such as the increase of age-related illnesses and the need for caregivers. Falls are a major threat for the elderly, often causing serious injuries especially when the fallen person stays on the ground for a long time without assistance. This paper presents the development of a Fall Detection System (FDS) using an accelerometer combined with a gyroscope worn at the waist. Data come from SisFall, a publicly available dataset containing records of Activities of Daily Living and falls. We compared five Machine Learning algorithms. We first applied preprocessing and a feature extraction stage before using five Machine Learning algorithms, allowing us to compare them. Ensemble learning algorithms such as Random Forest and Gradient Boosting have the best performance, with a Sensitivity and Specificity both close to 99%.