Davide Curone

A Real-Time and Self-Calibrating Algorithm Based on Triaxial Accelerometer Signals for the Detection of Human Posture and Activity

Assessment of human activity and posture with triaxial accelerometers provides insightful information about the functional ability: classification of human activities in rehabilitation and elderly surveillance contexts has been already proposed in the literature. In the meanwhile, recent technological advances allow developing miniaturized wearable devices, integrated within garments, which may extend this assessment to novel tasks, such as real-time remote surveillance of workers and emergency operators intervening in harsh environments. We present an algorithm for human posture and activity-level detection, based on the real-time processing of the signals produced by one wearable triaxial accelerometer. The algorithm is independent of the sensor orientation with respect to the body. Furthermore, it associates to its outputs a “reliability” value, representing the classification quality, in order to launch reliable alarms only when effective dangerous conditions are detected. The system was tested on a customized device to estimate the computational resources needed for real-time functioning. Results exhibit an overall 96.2% accuracy when classifying both static and dynamic activities.

Heart Rate and Accelerometer Data Fusion for Activity Assessment of Rescuers During Emergency Interventions

The current state of the art in wearable electronics is the integration of very small devices into textile fabrics, the so-called ¿smart garment.¿ The ProeTEX project is one of many initiatives dedicated to the development of smart garments specifically designed for people who risk their lives in the line of duty such as fire fighters and Civil Protection rescuers. These garments have integrated multipurpose sensors that monitor their activities while in action. To this aim, we have developed an algorithm that combines both features extracted from the signal of a triaxial accelerometer and one ECG lead. Microprocessors integrated in the garments detect the signal magnitude area of inertial acceleration, step frequency, trunk inclination, heart rate (HR), and HR trend in real time. Given these inputs, a classifier assigns these signals to nine classes differentiating between certain physical activities (walking, running, moving on site), intensities (intense, mild, or at rest) and postures (lying down, standing up). Specific classes will be identified as dangerous to the rescuer during operation, such as, ¿subject motionless lying down¿ or ¿subject resting with abnormal HR.¿ Laboratory tests were carried out on seven healthy adult subjects with the collection of over 4.5 h of data. The results were very positive, achieving an overall classification accuracy of 88.8%.

Long-distance monitoring of physiological and environmental parameters for emergency operators

The recent disaster provoked by the earthquake in middle Italy has pointed out the need for minimizing risks endangering rescuers’ lives. An European Project called ProeTEX (Protection e-Textiles: MicroNanoStructured fiber systems for Emergency-Disaster Wear) aims at developing smart garments able to monitor physiological and environmental parameters of emergency operators. The goal is to realize a wearable system detecting health state parameters of the users (heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, position, activity and posture) and environmental variables (external temperature, presence of toxic gases and heat flux passing through the garments) and remotely transmitting useful information to the operation manager. This work presents an overview of the main features of the second prototype realized by ProeTEX with particular emphasis to the sensor’s body network and the long distance transmission of signals.

Assessment of Sensing Fire Fighters Uniforms for Physiological Parameter Measurement in Harsh Environment

In the last few years, much effort has been devoted to the development of wearable sensing systems able to monitor physiological, behavioral, and environmental parameters. Less has been done on the accurate testing and assessment of this instrumentation, especially when considering devices thought to be used in harsh environments by subjects or operators performing intense physical activities. This paper presents methodology and results of the evaluation of wearable physiological sensors under these conditions. The methodology has been applied to a specific textile-based prototype, aimed at the real-time monitoring of rescuers in emergency contexts, which has been developed within a European funded project called ProeTEX. Wearable sensor measurements have been compared with the ones of suitable gold standards through Bland-Altman statistical analysis; tests were realized in controlled environments simulating typical intervention conditions, with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 45°C and subjects performing mild to very intense activities. This evaluation methodology demonstrated to be effective for the definition of the limits of use of wearable sensors. Furthermore, the ProeTEX prototype demonstrated to be reliable, since it produced negligible errors when used for up to 1 h in normal environmental temperature (20°C and 35°C) and up to 30 min in harsher environment (45°C).

Fire fighters and rescuers monitoring through wearable sensors: The ProeTEX project

The final generation of ProeTEX prototypes has been delivered in April 2010: it is based on two sets of sensorized garments devoted to monitor the health status of emergency operators working in harsh environments. This new release of garments shows several improvements with respect to the previous ones, and it is characterized by a major specialization to the requirements imposed by the different categories of end-users (Fire-Fighters, Civil Protection rescuers) addressed by the project. Each ProeTEX prototype is provided with a communication infrastructure allowing the real-time remote transmission of data recorded by the wearable sensors, and the presentation of such data to possible managers supervising the activities of the first line responders. After the delivery of the prototypes, an intense validation of the garments is being carried out both in laboratories, specialized in physiological measures, and in simulated fire-fighting scenarios. In such a context, this paper presents the main features characterizing the final ProeTEX prototypes and preliminary results of their laboratory assessment.

Biosensing and environmental sensing for emergency and protection e-Textiles

The ProeTEX project introduced for the first time a complete set of smart garments integrating sensors for the physiological and environmental monitoring of emergency operators. These “smart” garments have been deeply tested in emergency-like contexts by professional rescuers, in order to assess real-time acquisition, processing and transmission of data from moving subjects while operating in harsh conditions. Here we report an overview of the main results obtained during field trials performed in 2010 by Italian and French professional firefighters, in specialized training centers, while dressing the ProeTEX prototypes. Results clearly demonstrate the benefit and step forward of such a system in order to monitor and coordinate rescuers even during intervention far away from the emergency headquarter.

Smart garments for emergency operators: Results of laboratory and field tests

The first generation of ProeTEX prototypes has been completed at the end of August 2007. In the following period two main activities have involved the project partners. On one hand new technologies (in terms of sensors and devices) to be integrated in the next releases of prototypes have been developed; on the other hand intensive test sessions on the first prototype (both in laboratory conditions and simulating real operative scenarios) have been carried out. This paper is mainly focused on this second facet. Great efforts have been dedicated to the trials for different reasons: firstly to investigate the appropriateness and efficiency of the system in normal and harsh conditions; secondly to obtain useful indications regarding usability and efficacy by the endusers involved in the project. The results of the trials have been used to define the specifications of the second generation of prototypes, that will be released within the end of 2008.

Emergency and Work

In most recent years, technological advances have brought in consumer electronics many portable applications that have become part of our daily life. Miniaturized headphones, mp3 players are only an example of this trend. Leveraging on the low cost and versatility of these devices, some companies have launched new products combining the portability of these systems with the possibility of using these devices as support for some common human activities. In parallel with this technological and market evolution, awareness raised among public opinion about the need of contrasting accidents occurring to those people who work in harsh conditions and need to increase safety and possibly efficiency of intervention. This need is particularly enhanced for professional categories such as fire-fighters and Civil Protection rescuers.