NIRVANA - Automatic BMI Machine
A low-cost, automated system to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) for infants, developed for Kalpana '15 at IIT Bombay to support malnutrition screening of inants
Project Overview
NIRVANA is an Automatic BMI (ABMI) machine designed and built for Kalpana 2015 at IIT Bombay, under the Tata Center for Technology and Development. It automates the process of capturing weight and height to compute the BMI of children without manual input and calibration. The project aimed to simplify and scale malnutrition detection, especially in underserved regions, by reducing dependency on trained staff and cutting down equipment costs from ₹35k to ₹8k. By addressing inefficiencies in BMI data collection, NIRVANA helped reduce the cost of early malnutrition treatment and enabled quicker diagnostics
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Key Contributions & Details
- Designed and built a simple BMI machine using load sensors, FSR and ultrasonic height detection.
- Implemented algorithms for accurate data analysis and reporting from multiple sensors
- Integrated low-cost microcontroller-based architecture to reduce hardware costs.
- Collaborated with medical professionals and researchers for user validation.
- Focused on low-cost, high-impact solution for rural healthcare settings.
- Secured funding and support from Tata Center for Technology and Design.