Dr Ibraheem Naeem talks to Instep about the FIT3D technology he’s brought to Pakistan and its future.
For most people, when it comes to following through on a fitness regime, the biggest hindrance is motivation. People like seeing fast results and many lose their drive when they don’t. Self-perception, therefore plays a major role in whether people will continue exercising and it can impede some individuals from beginning or maintaining an exercise program.
Dr Ibraheem Naeem, the co-founder of Fitness Diagnostic Labs tells Instep that he may have found the solution to this. He shares that till very recently he was just another medical practitioner and an average Joe of the fitness industry until he found new technology to address health and wellness problems.
“We’ve launched Pakistan’s first few labs dedicated to fitness and health, with the presence of Silicon Valley’s FIT3D Technology,” he says. “This new technology has the capability to influence people to stay healthy by helping them track their fitness level to the minutest changes.”
There are currently two locations in Lahore, two in Islamabad and six in Karachi. They’ve priced them to be accessible for most, with one scan for 2,000 and packages which have as many in one month for 5,000, as many in three months for 10,000 and so on.
“There’s no such thing in Pakistan that gives you such detailed information about your body as this does. When we were launching it we thought we could price it higher because there’s no competition but we want to be available to everyone especially because it can help so many,” he adds.
The 3D body scanners are systems designed to capture, in three dimensions, the full body of a person. The result obtained is an accurate 3D model that allows one to visualize the exact body shape and get accurate data about body measurements, body fat and posture analysis. Although Naeem is primarily using them for health and wellness in Pakistan, worldwide they are increasingly being used in a wide range of applications. The fashion industry, locally, could invest into these machines as a fast and accurate 3D measurement solution that could help with sizing problems.
The process of getting the scan begins with stepping onto the 3D body scanning platform, grabbing onto the handles and standing as still as you can for about 40 seconds. The platform will rotate as the sensor moves up and down, scanning every inch of your body to get the most accurate results. In less than a minute, the FIT3D scanner extracts more than 400 measurements including circumferences, heights, lengths, widths, volumes, and surface areas from your entire body. The most important of these measurements are mapped onto a 3D image and a comprehensive report is emailed to you within 5 to 10 minutes of scan completion.
Naeem is partnering with various nutritionists, physiotherapists and trainers to offer their services for free after clients get scanned. The greatest advantage of the scanner is being able to compare scans over time and being able to see even a half inch of variance between scans. With the insight, ease and low cost of a 3D scanner, there’s little doubt that this technology will eventually become ubiquitous. While the fitness industry rides the wave, it is also in favour of the fashion industry to strike while the iron is hot.
