People considering purchasing a 3D Body Scanner often ask us about "accuracy." We tend to talk more about consistency versus accuracy since there is no central source of truth in the world of body composition outside of an Autopsy.  This is an interesting question if you think larger about "what (who) is correct?"  When we hear that we are often compared to InBody, Styku, or any other system, this same question of who is right always comes up.  There are two main learnings that we usually come to: 

1. This is the wrong question.

I'll say that most of these systems are "good enough" for the fitness space & what clients need. But, the degrees of "more correct" could matter to you.  If you want to read a report on this, here is a 2023 NIH research paper that talks about Fit3D & Styku being compared to a very expensive Human Solutions 3D Body Scanner which is of great quality.

While you may want to dive deep into what an R-Squared value means, at the end of the day I suggest you look at our 3D scans & ask yourself will these scans help motivate our members to change? Ask yourself if showing the progress between 2 Fit3D scans will help "prove your program" to grow your business & help with client accountability.

Do I personally believe that our 3D body scanner is the best quality & value for the cost – absolutely. But, what we see over & over again is that the people who are "winning" in this space are the operators that integrate our scanner as a sales enablement tool. If you want to read more about that, here is an article about how to use Fit3D to increase your client revenue.

2. There is a fair amount of Psychology bias here.

One could argue that it usually doesn't matter if a client is 14%BF or 18%. However, as people, part of this is wrapped around one's identity.  If one system says I am "leaner" than another system, we have an urge to say the system with the number that best aligns with my identity "has" to be the best, right?  The thing that matters should be about what their goals are & how do you work towards that goal – it's about directionality.

I would also speak to this is why clients go to YOUR BUSINESS. Numbers are just numbers. But speaking with a trainer or a medical professional adds context to these numbers & your scans to help develop a plan to get your clients to where they need to go.
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3. Bonus: Links to Research Articles

We will post several articles here that speak to accuracy if you'd like to read in depth about this topic. Since this is likely why you came to this article to begin with.
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Study: May 2023 - Translating digital anthropometry measurements obtained from different 3D body image scanners - Link

Summary: This study aimed to develop mathematical models for translating anthropometric measurements between three different body image scanners: Styku, Human Solutions, and Fit3D. The researchers used a database with measurements from all three scanners to create linear regression models. The results showed varying correlations between measurements obtained from different scanners. In general, Fit3D had better agreement with Human Solutions compared to another 3d scanner. The developed models enable standardization of data between scanners, allowing for data pooling and comparison in research and industry applications.

Lastly, if you'd like to learn more about how to utilize 3d body scanning for your health & wellness business, please schedule a demo with us using the links in the upper right of our website.

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