Use of Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) to Analyze the Impact of Safety Nets on the Accelerations Occurring in the Human Body During a Collision

Abstract

The article presents accelerations occurring in the human body when falling onto a safety net. An attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) consists of sensors on three axes that provide attitude information for objects, including pitch, roll, and yaw. These sensors are made of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers. Usually, they are used in aircraft flight instruments due to their high precision. In the present article, these sensors were used to test safety nets, protecting people or objects falling from heights. The measurement was made for two heights: 6 m and 3.5 m. During the research, a type of mannequin that is a representative model of the human body for the largest segment of the adult population was used. The measurement was carried out using two independent measurement systems. One recorded the accelerations at the chest of the tested object, while the sensors of the second system were placed at the head, arms, and legs. The compiled measurement results were related to the permissible acceleration values that do not threaten human health and life.