A 3D body scanner created by students at Virginia Tech University in the US has been launched to help gym users track their changing body shape as their fitness improves.

Users step into the VFit scanner, create a profile on the touch panel inside and get a 10-second scan. They can then download an app for their mobile or go online to view a photo-realistic model of their body. As they get fitter, they can scan their body over time, gradually building up a picture of how their stomach flattens or muscles increase.

The technology was originally devised as a tool for online shoppers to see how clothes would fit their body, but the company recently decided to switch its focus to health and fitness.

“We realised the potential to make a lot of impact in multiple markets,” says Caroline Pugh, who founded the business with Louis Cirillo. “The amount of data we collect on the human body allows us to calculate biometric measurements that some other technologies in the fitness market can’t – or at least, not with the accuracy we can.”

With 24 million points of reference in the scan, and accuracy to within 1.2mm, VFit means gym goers no longer have to go through extensive assessments to monitor their progress, says Pugh: “This is the first time people will be able to see a photo-realistic 3D model of themselves on their smartphones.”

For health and fitness operators, the system would validate the gym’s effectiveness, she adds: “For example, PTs can use our technology to pinpoint down to the millimetre if someone has gained muscle in a certain area, to show that the regimen is working.”

VirtualU secured US$625k of funding in April following a trial in a handful of gyms across south-west Virginia, and the scanner is now scheduled to launch into the Washington DC and New York City markets in Q3 of this year.

There are also plans to integrate with wearable technologies, providing the user with, in Pugh’s words, a “dashboard for your body” for fitness tracking.

Looking ahead, the aim is to get more operators on board. “We’re looking forward to working with larger gym chains and expanding regionally across the US,” says Pugh. “The goal is to have everyone in the US within driving distance of one of our VFit scanners.”

Details: www.virtualu.co