KinSpace: Passive obstacle detection via Kinect

  • Christopher Greenwood
  • , Shahriar Nirjon
  • , John Stankovic
  • , Hee Jung Yoon
  • , Ho Kyeong Ra
  • , Sang Son
  • , Taejoon Park

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Falls are a significant problem for the elderly living independently in the home. Many falls occur due to household objects left in open spaces. We present KinSpace, a passive obstacle detection system for the home. KinSpace employs the use of a Kinect sensor to learn the open space of an environment through observation of resident walking patterns. It then monitors the open space for obstacles that are potential tripping hazards and notifies the residents accordingly. KinSpace uses real-time depth data and human-in-the-loop feedback to adjust its understanding of the open space of an environment. We present a 5,000-frame deployment dataset spanning multiple homes and classes of objects. We present results showing the effectiveness of our underlying technical solutions in identifying open spaces and obstacles. The results for both lab testing and a deployment in an actual home show roughly 80% accuracy for both open space detection and obstacle detection even in the presence of many real-world issues. Consequently, this new technology shows great potential to reduce the risk of falls in the home due to environmental hazards.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWireless Sensor Networks - 11th European Conference, EWSN 2014, Proceedings
Pages182-197
Number of pages16
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
Event11th European Conference on Wireless Sensor Networks, EWSN 2014 - Oxford, United Kingdom
Duration: 17 Feb 201419 Feb 2014

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume8354 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference11th European Conference on Wireless Sensor Networks, EWSN 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityOxford
Period17/02/1419/02/14

Keywords

  • Kinect
  • fall prevention
  • object detection
  • obstacles
  • safety

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