A low-cost edge-AI smart floor mat using multi-point force sensors for real-time fall detection and elderly safety

Abstract

This study describes the creation of a smart floor mat (SFM) that integrates edge-based artificial intelligence (AI) processing on an embedded system to identify movements such as standing, sitting, and falling to improve the safety of the elderly. The design incorporates nine force sensitive resistor (FSR) sensors, an ESP32 microcontroller, and a multi-class support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to analyze the sensor data in real time or long-time immobility detection, the device will automatically switch on and activate alarms to alert tele-caregivers and helpers via Telegram Bot notifications, indicator lights, and speakers for immediate responses. Experimental results demonstrated that the classification accuracy was 93.33% in model evaluation and 88.33% on the embedded platform, respectively, with an F1-score of 0.82-0.83 and an utterly perfect fall event detection (100%). Data are automatically logged in Google Sheets through Wi-Fi for trend analysis and health monitoring. The proposed SFM is low-cost, foldable, portable, and capable of supporting real-time monitoring and proactive safety management in the elderly. This innovation contributes to the development of smart home healthcare systems and is in line with the goal of achieving a better quality of life.