KUWTP Ep. 2 | 14th June 2024 | Glorified Shopping

After wrapping up our discussion outside the Making and Tinkering (MnT) lab in school, we decided to kickstart our project by doing the most important thing – look for a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) scale otherwise known as a body composition weighing scale in layman terms. As advised by our lab supervisor, we should look for a BIA scale and deconstruct it to understand the different components involved and required in reproducing such a device.

Different BIA scales manufactured by different brands consist of different electrical components as well as equations to churn out the desired output values such as body fat composition and muscle mass percentage. For example from our extensive research done, BIA comprising of AD5933, a high precision impedance converter system solution, produces the most accurate readings for BIA and is commonly used in most devices (Harder et al., 2016). In humans, fluctuation in body composition readings given by different scales is attributable to differing predictive equations used to calibrate the machine. Likewise, research has shown that we need to define predictive equations for body composition based on BIA parameters according to the specific morphological parameters like body size and condition (Yaguiyan‑Colliard et al., 2015). Hence it is of utmost importance for us to accurately tailor and code our product to ensure it accurately reflects the body composition of the dog.

Stemming from STEM backgrounds (pun intended), we believe in hands-on learning and thus decided to visit different electronic stores (Courts, Harvey Norman and even Decathalon) to test out the wide variety of BIA scales available in the market. Prior research concluded that OMRON scales offer one of the most accurate readings (Pribyl et al., 2009) hence we used it as a baseline when comparing the values provided by other scales. However, the OMRON scale is too expensive and will create a hole in our wallet (CN Yang’s wallet byebye funding…) hence we resort to finding the best alternative! Ultimately, after testing out the different scales we failed to find a scale within budget that provided results similar to the ones provided by an OMRON scale, hence our adventure proved unfruitful as we did not buy anything.

BUT don’t fret, stay tuned to find out how we solve this dilemma (we want to save money but still deconstruct a BIA scale because #fun #educational)!