Expansion Of Groundbreaking Body Volume Application, Now Available For iPhone And As An API

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ --  The Body Volume Indicator (BVI) is a new indicator for obesity and health risk based on measuring part volumes of the human body in 3D directly from an app. Today, BVI America LLC, a subsidiary of 3D measurement pioneer Select Research, announces new platforms for BVI Pro, the Body Volume Indicator (BVI™) obesity and health application. The breakthrough patented technology, which is now available for iPhones and iPads, as well as via an API from www.bodyvolume.com, provides an accessible and affordable way for health professionals and consumers to assess health risks, body composition and weight distribution.

With the iPhone release of BVI Pro, BVI America has now also developed an easy-to-access API integration tool for healthcare, corporate wellness and insurance companies to integrate BVI data for predictive modeling on risk. This includes the revolutionary new BVI number as an indicator of health, a valid and easy to use alternative to the 19^th century Body Mass Index (BMI). BVI America will also be releasing a version of BVI specifically for consumers in 2018.

BVI Pro provides accurate calculations of body volume, estimates of visceral fat and distribution of body fat in less than a minute. It can provide up to 200 body measurements from just two images taken on an iPad or iPhone, with no need for any device or machine. By incorporating research findings and validation in co-operation with Mayo Clinic experts and other international scientific collaborators and utilizing patented 3D Body Volume imaging smart technology, BVI Pro can also safely, accurately and affordably calculate body composition, weight distribution and associated health risks, while also taking into account an individual's age, gender and level of self-reported physical activity. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed BVI Pro and defines it as a general wellness product, meaning it can be used anywhere as part of patient care as it presents a low risk to the safety of users. The patented BVI application is also MHRA-certified in the UK and has approved CE Marking across Europe.

"BVI was always planned to become universally accessible to healthcare professionals and consumers. The launch of the new platforms for BVI now offers additional access to this new way of measuring individual health risk," said Richard Barnes, CEO of Select Research. "This is just the latest step in BVI becoming the modern day global standard for body composition measurement and health risk."

In May 2017, BVI was revealed as a modern day measure of body composition and weight distribution, following a 10-year collaboration with Mayo Clinic and other scientific collaborators. Mayo Clinic experts led extensive research on weight distribution, the importance of fat assessment and the limitations of the current standard of Body Mass Index (BMI). Mayo Clinic's research and validation of BVI continues, and data completed now will anonymously contribute to making the measurement a credible "index" by 2020.

BMI was invented in 1830 and BVI America encourages healthcare professionals and consumers to join its #SpeakVolumes initiative, which aims to educate, engage and modernize the way body composition is measured and talked about.

The BVI Pro app is available globally to download via iTunes. For more information about the BVI Pro App and to participate in the #SpeakVolumes conversation, please visit www.bodyvolume.com and follow @bodyvolume on Twitter and Facebook. Mayo Clinic has a financial interest in the technology referenced in this news release.

About Select Research
Select Research, a UK-based company, has pioneered 3D measurement of the human body since 1997. It has developed the BVI software application for healthcare in an R&D program with collaborators that commenced in January 2000.
www.selectresearch.com

BVI 
BVI measures seven body volumes with focus on the abdomen, the area most associated with health risk.  It is delivered by part-volumes from a 3D scan created from just two silhouettes of a person and validated with extensive MRI data. BVI is protected by broad patents regarding body composition from a 3D scan *.
www.bodyvolume.com

Collaborators on development of BVI (2007 – 2017)
Aston University
Loughborough University
Mayo Clinic 
Medical Research Council
NHS Heartlands Hospital
St Annes Hospital
University of Birmingham
University of Hertfordshire
University of Hull
University of Westminster

NOTE
Ongoing research and development on BVI is currently being undertaken with additional collaborators in Australia, France, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

* Patents EP1,993,443 B1 and US8,374,671. Applications GB1706857.8 and US62/491,764 – with worldwide filing options.

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SOURCE BVI America LLC