The Body Volume Index (BVI) is a new medical proposal, developing an improved International anthropometric benchmark for healthcare and obesity measurement. The BVI scanner is specifically designed to calculate risk factors associated with a person's body shape and type, through analysis of weight and body fat distribution. The BVI scanner is able to measure human body volume and in particular the part volumes of the human body where weight is to assess the rick factors associated with obesity more specifically.

BVI is a replacement to the Body Mass Index, BMI is the manual measurement for evaluating obesity of the human body, however based only on height and weight it fails to take into account age, gender, ethnicity, body shape or body composition, all crucial factors when looking at obesity.

BVI was created in January 2000 following research scanning over 23,000 men, women and children using 3D body scanners. A second stage of research to define both the index and the applications process of BVI commenced in March 2007 and is being undertaken by an international collaboration of top healthcare professionals. (See www.bodybenchmark.org ).

The 3D scanners that are used to measure and calculate BVI are non-invasive, quick, use safe light technology and do not use radioactive means to obtain the body volume measurements.