Through a computer's webcam, the platform measures body mass index (BMI) and provides recommendations based on the results.
BMI is a number that serves as a guide to identifying weight categories that can be related to health problems. This is calculated by dividing the weight into kilograms of the individual, by the square of height in meters, (BMI = weight/height [m2]). So, if a person has a weight of 70 kg and his height is 1.80 m, it is calculated 70/3.24, giving a result of 21.6. The normal range for BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, a lower BMI corresponds to low weight, and a higher BMI indicates overweight.
A well-known Danish pharmaceutical company, she developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, called MarIA, which allows users to know their BMI through the camera of their mobile device or computer. “Maria has been designed as a tool that allows to make an approximate calculation of the range of your Body Mass Index through an artificial intelligence algorithm,” as it reads on soymaria.com.
Even the website says that this technology does not represent a diagnosis and should not be considered as a medical recommendation. When performing the test, MarIA makes a series of questions about healthy habits: hours of sleep a day, hours of exercise a week and others related to doctor's appointments, after questions the system offers a list of clinics specialized in obesity, which the patient can attend, however, this option is only available in Central America and the Dominican Republic.
The AI system is still in the active development stage and is gradually trained to improve the algorithm, so in some cases when facial features are unclear, it may yield less accurate results.
MarIA is still in active development and gradually trains. Results may be less accurate in cases where facial characteristics are unclear.
On the Internet there are several platforms that offer BMI calculators such as the following:
- Mexican Social Security Institute: http://www.imss.gob.mx/salud-en-linea/calculaimc
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/spanish/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/metric_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html
