Prism Labs Accuracy Publication
In a new study in Frontiers in Medicine published this week, a group of independent researchers led by Dr. Grant Tinsley et al demonstrate the cutting-edge precision and accuracy of Prism Labs' mobile body composition technology. Prism Labs body fat estimation algorithms derived from mobile scans showed statistical equivalence with DXA, the gold standard in body composition analysis, and a strong linear relationship, with no proportional bias.
Lean mass and measurements like waist circumference and waist/height ratios are important indicators of cardiometabolic health. Until now, getting accurate body composition information meant using expensive purpose-built hardware. Prism Labs’ breakthrough precision and accuracy sets the stage for valuable body composition analysis to be available to anyone with a smartphone, which has the potential to revolutionize the personal health ecosystem.
The study revealed that Prism Labs' methodology achieved significantly lower accuracy error metrics - mean absolute error (MAE) ranging from 3.4% to 4.5% - and high reliability across duplicate assessments, ranging from 0.5% to 0.66%. This performance aligns more closely with the accuracy of DXA scans, confirming that our solution can be effectively used for precise, reliable body fat percentage (BF%) estimates.
Moreover, the study's diverse participant pool, with a broad range of BMIs (16.9 to 48.5) and BF% (10.6 to 54.7%), confirms the versatility of the technology across different demographics, body sizes, and shapes. With an 85% global smartphone penetration rate, Prism Labs is well-positioned to provide accessible health insights through easy-to-use mobile scanning at a scale that has never before been possible. For example, a simple implementation of this technology is the ability for smartphone-based 3D scanning to provide a precise estimate of waist circumference, thereby allowing one important component of cardiometabolic risk to be easily assessed at home without the need for a trained assessor.
In a prior study published in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Prism Labs' technology had already revealed once again it's high precision measuring the body achieving a technical error of measurement (TEM) of 0.5 cm or 0.9% across body circumferences, outperforming non-portable traditional scanning booths or sensors positioned in front of turntables (such as Size Stream and Styku), which typically report errors of 0.6–0.8 cm or 1.1–1.5% and two-photo methods available in smartphones.
The combination of our novel, non-rigid 3D reconstruction methodology and a robust data pipeline enables us to outperform traditional methods relying on static subjects while increasing the accessibility of accurate body composition analysis for everyday users. Getting precise and accurate measurements is an important part of an onboarding assessment and ongoing results tracking for any mobile application seeking to help users personalize their weight loss or fitness programs. Please contact us to learn more.