A 3D Imaging System for Measuring the Shape and Volume of the Human Body

W A Wan-Daud1, H S Tapp2, C Ktistis1, and A J Peyton1

1 Engineering Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YR, UK, a.peyton@lancaster.ac.uk

2 Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UA, UK

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the optical component of an integrated electromagnetic tomography (EMT) – structured light (SL) whole body scanner developed to estimate human body composition. Structured light is a generic term that describes the 3D mapping of surface contours using digital cameras and projected lines of light. Measurement of human body composition provides a way to assess the nutritional status of an individual. The main roles of the optical system are to aid EMT image reconstruction through registering the position of the body, and to estimate total body volume (TBV), which can independently be used to predict fat and fat-free mass from differences in their densities. The whole body scanner consists of a cubicle that contains a mechanised sensor ring that can sweep vertically past a standing subject. The sensor ring is populated with both EMT and SL elements, the latter comprising a circular array of digital cameras and low power laser line generators. This paper will detail the overall construction of the scanning cubicle and principle of operation before describing the data processing steps required in converting the raw images into a 3D graphical representation of the scanned object. These steps will be illustrated with examples.

Keywords Body composition, Photonic scanning, Machine vision, Total body volume.