New research Simplified Indoor Localisation Using Bluetooth Beacons and Received Signal Strength (RSSI) Fingerprinting with Smartwatch, introduces an innovative system for indoor localisation using Bluetooth Low Energy beacons and smartwatches, aimed at simplifying the process for users. This system is designed to detect a user’s location within specific areas like rooms within a house, rather than providing exact coordinates, with a particular focus on applications in ambient assisted living, especially for the elderly.
The study presents the methodology, implementation, and evaluation of the system, highlighting its practicality for real-world applications. The system demonstrated high accuracy, achieving 92.1% in environments with five rooms and 85.9% with three rooms, showcasing its effectiveness. The setup process is streamlined to reduce the number of reference points and employs a straightforward nearest neighbour algorithm, which simplifies the use and maintenance for users who may not have extensive technical skills.
The use of common and low-cost hardware components, such as Raspberry Pi for beacons and commercial smartwatches, helps keep the system affordable and simple to manage. Calibration is quick and efficient, which is ideal for residential settings. Despite its current effectiveness, the research suggests there is room for improvement. Future enhancements might include the adoption of multiple reference points per region to refine accuracy, particularly in transitional spaces between rooms.
This system offers a robust solution for indoor localisation with significant implications for healthcare, particularly aiding elderly individuals to live independently while ensuring their safety and mobility within their homes.