Validity and repeatability of a depth camera-based surface imaging system for thigh volume measurement.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Anthropometry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Traditional anthropometrics have limitations in detecting subtle body size and shape changes.
• Manual measurement techniques for complex anthropometrics like volume are often impractical.
• Existing 3D surface imaging systems are accurate but costly and inaccessible.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a novel, low-cost, portable 3D surface imaging system for measuring thigh volume.
• To assess the repeatability and accuracy of the developed system compared to a high-precision commercial system.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 3D surface imaging system using consumer depth cameras.
• Measured thigh volumes of 36 participants using the novel system and a 3dMD system.
• Assessed repeatability using technical error of measurement (TEM) and compared volumes for validity.

Main Results:

• The depth camera system demonstrated high repeatability (<1.0% intra-calibration, ~2.0% inter-calibration).
• The system systematically overestimated thigh volume by approximately 6% compared to the 3dMD system.
• Despite overestimation, a close relationship was observed, suggesting potential for correction.

Conclusions:

• The novel 3D depth camera system is highly repeatable for thigh volume measurement.
• The system shows potential as a low-cost, accessible tool for anthropometric analysis after calibration.
• Further correction can yield usable thigh volume data, advancing body shape assessment.