Body Volume Index Machine

The epidemic of obesity leading to increased morbidity and mortality of diabetes and cardiovascular disease needs to be addressed in innovative ways as our current strategy is being unsuccessful. Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are currently used to assess obesity. BMI and WC do not take into account fat/muscle distribution or allow for distinctions between gender, age or ethnicity. WC reflects abdominal fat distribution more accurately, but is operator-dependant and variable in terms of reproducibility. This means that a person through diet and exercise may not lose weight but may beneficially increase lean body mass and therefore change their body shape that is currently undetected.

Body volume index (BVI) is a totally new, reproducible, operator independent and novel concept using a 3D body scanner and appropriate software, to measure total body and 8 body segment volumes, such as the abdomen. Thus, obesity based on individual body shape may be assessed reflecting in a decrease in fat mass and an increase in lean body mass (muscle) that is essentially weight neutral. The BVI Scanner is recognised as the leading 3D Body Scanner in the world body scanning industry, can scan the whole body within six seconds, and produces a true scale 3D body model image. 

The BVI Scanner can be used for: Medical Applications, Clinical Trials, Weight Management Centres, Obesity Clinics, Health and fitness Centres and Sizing Surveys

The diagram above shows an example of a scan on 8 different females each with a BMI of 30.  This may encourage individuals to lose weight, identify particular shapes associated with heart disease risk.

Our BVI Machine was kindly funded by donations from the graduates and friends of the

University of Hull