Modern AI can capture your body shape accurately using just a phone camera—no special equipment, no depth sensors, no expensive scanners. The process is fast, privacy-respectful, and practical for everyday use. Here's how it works: from a short video to a usable 3D body map that can match garments to your actual dimensions.
The Capture Process: Video to 3D
You record a short video (usually 10-30 seconds) while rotating slowly. The system captures multiple angles of your body, building a comprehensive view. Modern AI models can infer 3D shape from 2D video alone—no depth sensors or special equipment needed. The phone's camera is sufficient.
The video is processed to extract key frames and build a 3D mesh—a digital representation of your body shape. This mesh captures your body's dimensions, contours, and proportions in three dimensions. It's not just a few measurements—it's a complete 3D model that captures how your body is shaped.
Landmark detection identifies key points: shoulders, waist, hips, knees, ankles, and other critical measurement points. These landmarks are used to extract specific measurements (bust, waist, hip, inseam, etc.) and to understand your body's proportions. The system can identify these points accurately even from a single video.
How It Works: AI and Computer Vision
Modern AI models are trained on large datasets of body shapes and can infer 3D structure from 2D images. They understand how bodies are shaped, how light and shadow indicate depth, and how to reconstruct a 3D model from multiple 2D views. This is why a phone camera is sufficient—the AI does the heavy lifting.
The process is fast—usually 30-60 seconds from video to measurements. The AI processes the video, builds the mesh, identifies landmarks, and extracts measurements automatically. You don't need to manually mark points or take measurements—the system does it for you.
Quality checks ensure accuracy. The system validates that the mesh is reasonable, that landmarks are correctly identified, and that measurements are within expected ranges. If something looks off, it asks you to retake the video. This ensures you get reliable measurements, not just any measurements.
Privacy and Data Handling
Privacy is built into the design. The system processes as much as possible on your device, keeping your body data local. If processing needs to happen in the cloud, the data is stripped of identifiers and expired quickly. Your body shape data isn't stored indefinitely or used for other purposes.
You control your data. You can delete your scan at any time, and the system doesn't share your body data with third parties. The measurements extracted from your scan are used only to match garments to your body—not for advertising, profiling, or other purposes.
This is different from traditional body scanning, which often requires specialized equipment, in-person visits, and data storage. Phone-based scanning puts you in control of your body data and makes the process accessible from home.
How This Enables Better Fit
Accurate body data enables precise garment matching. Instead of guessing which size might fit, the system can match garments to your actual dimensions. This reduces returns by matching garments to bodies, not bodies to arbitrary size categories. As we explain in 3D Body Scans vs Size Charts, scans capture dimensions that charts miss.
The data can be reused for all future purchases. Once you've captured your body shape, you can use it for any brand or garment. You don't need to re-scan for each purchase—your body data is portable and reusable. This makes the process practical for everyday shopping.
It enables made-to-measure and body-aware sizing. As we cover in Made-to-Measure vs Bespoke vs Custom, body scanning makes made-to-measure more accessible. Brands can use your body data to adjust patterns to your measurements, creating garments that fit properly from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need special equipment for body scanning?
No. Modern AI body scanning uses just a phone camera—no special equipment, no depth sensors, no expensive scanners. You record a short video while rotating slowly, and the AI builds a 3D model from that video.
How accurate is phone-based body scanning?
Very accurate for most measurements. Modern AI models can infer 3D shape from 2D video with high accuracy. The system captures key dimensions (bust, waist, hip, inseam, etc.) within a few millimeters, which is sufficient for garment matching. Quality checks ensure reliability.
Is my body data private?
Yes. The system processes as much as possible on your device, keeping your body data local. If processing needs to happen in the cloud, data is stripped of identifiers and expired quickly. You control your data and can delete it at any time.
How long does the scanning process take?
Usually 30-60 seconds from video to measurements. You record a short video (10-30 seconds) while rotating slowly, and the AI processes it automatically. The process is fast and practical for everyday use.
Can I use the same scan for different brands?
Yes. Once you've captured your body shape, you can use it for any brand or garment. Your body data is portable and reusable—you don't need to re-scan for each purchase. This makes the process practical for everyday shopping.