Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd will release a health appliance "Body-composition Balance Meter EW-FA70," which makes it easy to measure the thickness of subcutaneous fat at home, May 1, 2008.
When the operating part of the appliance is put on the upper arm, stomach or thigh for about one second, it measures the thickness of subcutaneous fat in millimeters. The appliance is aimed at general consumers who are interested in health management. It has an open price. But the company assumes that the market price will be about ¥20,000 (US$197).
Infrared ray is used to measure the subcutaneous fat. When it is applied to a living body, it diffuses in the fat and reflects off muscle surface. By measuring the (diffuse) reflected light intensity of infrared rays, the appliance determines the thickness of the fat. The thicker the fat, the higher the reflected light intensity.
When subcutaneous fat is measured, for example, in a medical practice, other methods such as ultrasonic waves are used. However, they are costly and sometimes require users to apply gel to a body part, making them difficult to use at home. That's why Matsushita Electric Industrial invented the new method that uses infrared rays, the company said.
"This is the world's first health appliance that uses infrared rays to measure subcutaneous fat," the company said. "It is cheaper than the appliances that use ultrasonic waves and has the same performance as they do."
At the operating part, there are an infrared-ray emitting part and two receiving parts that receive reflected lights. The company used two receiving parts to enhance the accuracy of the appliance.
The appliance also features a "balancing ability checker," which checks how wobbly the user is and finds the person's barycentric position. It measures the balance among the weight-bearing areas of the body with four sensors positioned on the front, back, right and left sides of it.
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