What Is a "Smart Scale"?

Nowadays, weight scales are becoming increasingly sophisticated, no longer simply measuring weight. Smart scales can not only measure body fat percentage and muscle mass, but can also be linked with a mobile app for health management. Today, we will introduce you to smart scales.

I. Measurement methods of smart scales

Currently available smart scales generally use bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure bioelectrical resistance (body impedance), and then use the bioelectrical impedance to calculate body fat, obtaining accurate measurements in a short time.

II. Working principle of smart scales

According to the principle that various components of the human body have different electrical conductivities, BIA divides human tissue into fat tissue and non-fat tissue.

• Non-fat tissue: such as body fluids, muscles, etc., containing water and electrolytes, is a good conductor of electricity.

• Fat tissue: waterless material, a poor conductor of electricity.

ITO conductive film or conductive metal sheets are added to the surface of the smart scale. When a person steps barefoot on the smart scale, the electrode of the scale sends out an extremely small current to the person being measured. If their body fat percentage is high, the measured bioelectrical impedance value will be larger.

III. How to use smart scales

When using fit smart scale, place them flat on the ground and weigh barefoot; before measurement, avoid intense exercise and do not measure after eating, drinking, or bathing in large amounts.

The most suitable measurement time is 1 hour after waking up, 1 hour before going to bed, and 1 hour after meals.

IV. The meaning of the parameters of smart scales

Smart scales are often used together with apps. When the user enters their gender, age, height, and other data into the app, the software combines the user's information and body fat data to calculate their basal metabolic rate, protein rate, and other data.

Smart scales parameters include weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, basal metabolic rate, water content, body age, etc. What is the significance of these data?

1. Weight: The weight of the body wearing known-weight work clothes.

2. Body fat percentage: The proportion of body fat weight to total body weight, also known as body fat percentage, which reflects the amount of fat in the body.

3. Muscle mass: A ratio of total body muscle mass to body weight and height, which determines a person's physical health status and strength.

4. Bone mass: The content of bone minerals (calcium, phosphorus, etc.) and bone matrix (collagen, protein, inorganic salts, etc.) per unit volume, used to represent the health of bones.

5. Basal metabolic rate: The energy metabolism rate of the body in a state of extreme quietness during wakefulness and without the influence of muscle activity, environmental temperature, food, and mental stress.

6. Water content: The amount of water in the body, including blood and body fluids.

7. Body age: The physiological age, representing a person's vitality, and determined by their lifestyle and health.

   
   

V. Improvement suggestions for smart scales

Strictly speaking, the impedance measured using the above method does not represent all the components of the human body. Further algorithms are required to fit various component data of the human body, in order to obtain the final result we see. Therefore, the results are for reference only.

Although the medical body fat analyzer also uses bioelectrical impedance measurement, in addition to standing barefoot on the instrument, it also requires holding the handles with metal electrodes on both sides of the display screen with both hands, allowing more and larger areas of electrodes to contact the human body to improve the accuracy of the measurement data. In addition, the resistance value of the human body is influenced by many factors such as eating, drinking, and exercise, which may cause measurement errors.