Reliability and validity of NX-16 3D body scanner: Confiabilidad y validez del escaner corporal 3D NX-16

3D body scanning technology is nowadays widely available and used in various research on body morphology and anatomical structure. The present study investigated the reliability and validity of NX-16 (TC2) 3D body scanner with a method of classical anthropometry. Research was carried out on 31 participants (17 males and 14 females) with their age 22.1±4.63 years, their height 177.17±8.96 cm and their weight 72.36±13.6 kg. Left (L) – Right (R) upper arm girth, L - R elbow girth, L - R forearm girth, L - R wrist girth, L - R thigh girth, L - R knee girth and L - R calf girth were measured with a flexible and inextensible tape with a 1 mm accuracy, and with the 3D measurement technique. The results show a good agreement between both methods used with paired variables showing significant and very strong correlations with more than 90 % of shared variance; Bland-Altman plot also shows a high agreement; paired sample T-test significance was observed in most cases; no significant differences were observed in measurements of right wrist girth, left thigh girth, left knee girth and in left calf girth. NX-16 3D body scanner thus represents a valid and highly accurate tool for assessing human body dimensions. However, the 3D body scanning and classical anthropometry method cannot be regarded as interchangeable due to the different initial positions of the body in the implementation of measurement protocols. For the direct comparison of 3D scanning and the classical anthropometry method in the future, the same body starting position should be used as is held during the 3D scanning process.