A Machine Learning Approach to Automatic Fall Detection of Soldiers

TL;DR

This paper develops a CNN-based system using wearable inertial sensors to automatically detect potentially life-threatening falls among soldiers, aiming to improve injury response times in military operations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel dataset and a CNN model optimized with Bayesian techniques for accurate fall detection in soldiers using wearable devices.

Findings

CNN model achieved high accuracy in fall classification

Sensor placement impacts detection performance

Bayesian optimization improved model results

Abstract

Military personnel and security agents often face significant physical risks during conflict and engagement situations, particularly in urban operations. Ensuring the rapid and accurate communication of incidents involving injuries is crucial for the timely execution of rescue operations. This article presents research conducted under the scope of the Brazilian Navy's ``Soldier of the Future'' project, focusing on the development of a Casualty Detection System to identify injuries that could incapacitate a soldier and lead to severe blood loss. The study specifically addresses the detection of soldier falls, which may indicate critical injuries such as hypovolemic hemorrhagic shock. To generate the publicly available dataset, we used smartwatches and smartphones as wearable devices to collect inertial data from soldiers during various activities, including simulated falls. The data were used to train 1D Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN1D) with the objective of accurately classifying falls that could result from life-threatening injuries. We explored different sensor placements (on the wrists and near the center of mass) and various approaches to using inertial variables, including linear and angular accelerations. The neural network models were optimized using Bayesian techniques to enhance their performance. The best-performing model and its results, discussed in this article, contribute to the advancement of automated systems for monitoring soldier safety and improving response times in engagement scenarios.