APPARATUS TO MEASURE BODY VOLUME AND COMPOSITION

EVEN THOUGH A PRESSING NEED EXISTS TO MEASURE HUMAN BODY COMPOSITION (BODY FAT AND MUSCLE), A PRACTICAL, ACCURATE, NONINVASIVE, AND LOW-COST DEVICE HAS PROVED ELUSIVE. THE ASSESSMENT OF MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS SUCH AS EXCESS BODY FAT HAS BECOME IMPORTANT IN THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OFA WIDE VARIETY OF ILLNESSES, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, LUNG DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, AND DIABETES. BEYOND THIS GROWING MEDICAL NEED, INFORMATION ON BODY COMPOSITION IS ALSO SOUGHT BY THE GROWING NUMBER OF RELATIVELY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MOTIVATED BY PERSONAL INTEREST IN APPEARANCE AND FITNESS. WHILE EXCESS BODY FAT IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN FOR MANY INDIVIDUALS, THE REDUCTION IN LEAN BODY MASS (MUSCLE) ASSOCIATED WITH AGING DRAMATICALLY AFFECTS AMBULATION, MOBILITY, AND INDEPENDENCE IN THE GERIATRIC POPULATION. IT ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN THE ABILITY OF THE ELDERLY TO RECOVER FROM INJURIES AND ILLNESSES SUCH AS HIP FRACTURE AND STROKE. AS THIS SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROW, ASSESSMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION IS LIKELY TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN MEDICAL MANAGEMENT. A DEVICE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED THAT ACCURATELY MEASURES BODY COMPOSITION BY SIMPLY HAVING THE INDIVIDUAL SIT (OR LIE) IN A COMFORTABLE CHAMBER FOR LESS THAN 1 MINUTE. THIS DEVICE IS SUITABLE FOR USE IN BOTH HEALTHY AND PATIENT POPULATIONS.