G12: Smart Body Composition Analyzer - shalan/CSCE4301-WiKi GitHub Wiki

BioScale – Smart Body Composition Analyzer

Name	GitHub
Mostafa Elshamy	https://github.com/MoShamy
Ahmed Elkhodary	https://github.com/aae121
Kareem Sayed	https://github.com/kareems395

GitHub Repo: https://github.com/MoShamy/Body-Composition

1. The Proposal

Abstract / Elevator Pitch

Understanding body composition is essential for assessing overall health and achieving fitness goals. Traditional home scales provide only weight, which is insufficient for meaningful health insights.

BioScale is a smart body composition analyzer designed to estimate key physiological metrics including Body Fat Percentage, Total Body Water, Skeletal Muscle Mass, and BMI.

The system is built around an ESP32 microcontroller. It uses a load cell (via HX711) to measure weight, and a host-based interface to process and display results. A web-based GUI provides real-time visualization, historical tracking, and trend analysis.

The architecture is modular, allowing integration of additional sensing subsystems such as impedance measurement and automated height detection in later stages.

Project Objectives & Scope

Minimum Viable Product

Calibrated weight acquisition subsystem using a load cell + HX711
Host-based user interface for entering age and sex
Embedded data transmission from ESP32 to GUI
Implementation of body composition calculations:
- Body Fat %
- Fat Mass
- Lean Body Mass
- Skeletal Muscle Mass
- Total Body Water
- BMI
Real-time visualization of results on a laptop interface

Stretch Goals

Automated height measurement using ultrasonic sensor
Integration of impedance-based body composition sensing
Historical tracking and trend visualization
Fully integrated real-time system

2. System Architecture

2.1 High-Level Block Diagram

(Insert updated diagram here with impedance subsystem removed)

2.2 Subsystem Breakdown (Updated)

The system consists of three primary subsystems:

Weight Measurement Subsystem

A load cell interfaced with the HX711 ADC module is used to measure weight. The ESP32 reads digital values and processes them into stable measurements.

User Interface & Data Processing Subsystem

A web-based GUI running on a laptop processes incoming data and computes:

Body Fat %
Total Body Water
Skeletal Muscle Mass
BMI

The interface displays results and tracks historical data.

Communication & Control Subsystem

The ESP32 handles sensor acquisition and transmits structured JSON data to the GUI. The system is designed using FreeRTOS for task separation.

Note:
The impedance measurement subsystem is currently under redesign due to component availability constraints and will be integrated later.

3. Hardware Design

Component Selection

ESP32 Development Board
Load Cell (50–100kg)
HX711 ADC Module
(Planned) Ultrasonic Sensor

Schematics & Wiring

Load Cell → HX711 → ESP32
HX711 DT → GPIO
HX711 SCK → GPIO

(Add wiring diagram or breadboard image here)

Bill of Materials (BOM)

Component	Quantity
ESP32	1
Load Cell	1
HX711	1
Wires / Breadboard	Several

Power Budget

System powered via USB (5V). Current consumption remains within ESP32 limits.

4. Software Implementation

Software Architecture

The system uses:

ESP32 firmware (Arduino framework on PlatformIO)
Web-based GUI (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)

Implementation Progress

Developed full GUI with modern mobile-friendly design
Implemented body composition calculations
Implemented JSON data parsing pipeline
Added real-time UI updates
Implemented local storage for historical tracking
Added trend charts for:
- Weight
- Body Fat %
- Muscle Mass

Key Algorithms

The system computes:

Total Body Water (TBW)
Fat-Free Mass (FFM)
Fat Mass (FM)
Body Fat %
Skeletal Muscle Mass
BMI

Development Environment

VS Code + PlatformIO
Arduino framework (ESP32)
Google Chrome (Web Bluetooth testing)

5. Testing, Validation & Debugging

Unit Testing

Load cell and HX711 tested independently
Serial output verified

Integration Testing

Verified data processing pipeline using simulated inputs
Confirmed correct calculation outputs
Verified UI updates and chart rendering

Challenges & Solutions

AD5933 Unavailability

Redesigned impedance subsystem for future implementation.

iPhone BLE Limitations

Switched testing to laptop Chrome.

System Complexity

Adopted staged development: Software → Communication → Sensors → Integration

6. Results & Demonstration

Current Prototype

Weight measurement subsystem implemented and tested
GUI fully functional
Data processing pipeline operational

Video Demonstration

Google Drive link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HqF47_nHq5qe8YSdN3K1U7s6HwfEBi2O/view?usp=sharing

Demonstrated Functionality

Real-time weight measurement
Data visualization
Historical tracking and trend analysis

7. Project Management

7.1 Division of Labor

Hardware (ESP32 + Sensors): Team Member 1
Software (GUI + Processing): Team Member 2
Integration & Testing: Team Member 3

7.2 Timeline

Milestone	Status
Proposal	Completed
GUI Development	Completed
Weight System	Completed
Full Integration	In Progress