3D body scanning

Applications

While the technology is still developing in its application, the technology has regularly been applied in the areas of:

• Adapted performance sportswear
• Fashion design (e.g. garments, accessories)
• 3D printed figurines (3D selfies)
• 3D morphometric evaluation (i.e. for weight-loss purposes)
• Ergonomic body measurement
• 3D body measurement
• Body shape classification
• Comparison of changes in body positions

However, despite the potential for the technology to have an impact in made-to-measure and mass customisation of items with ergonomic properties, 3D body scanning has yet to reach an early adopter or early majority stage of innovation diffusion. This in part due to the lack of ergonomic theory relating to how to identify key landmarks on the body morphology. The suitability of 3D body scanning is also context dependent as the measurements taken and the precision of the machine are highly relative to the task in hand rather than being an absolute.

Additionally, a key limitation of 3D body scanning has been the upfront cost of the equipment and the required skills by which to collect data and apply it to scientific and technical fields. However, the utilization of depth cameras on recent smartphones helps reduce the cost of 3D scans. One example of this is the recent free face scan app available on the Apple App Store.

For detailed investigations of the changes of the body dimensions at a high speed (4D) scanning systems were developed by 3dMD and Instituto de Biomemechanics de Valencia (IBV). Scanning of moving humans with clothing at high resolution (usually 10–60 Hz) is technically possible, as reported multiple times by Chris Lane, Alfredo Ballester and Yordan Kyosev, but the analysis and application of this data seems to be challenging. Main worldwide events for scientific exchange in the area of 3D and 4D body scanning are the annual 3DBody.Tech Conference and Clothing-Body-Interaction conference