Meet the Naked Labs Body Scanner, a combination smart mirror and smart scale built to scan your naked (or nearly naked) body from head to toe. Newly installed at the CNET Smart Home, the Naked Labs scanner lets you scrutinize frighteningly accurate 3D models of yourself on your phone to track changes to your body over time. The cost? $1,400.
Whether that sounds intriguing or terrifying, we've got a look at what comes in the box, how to set everything up -- and even a look at our first scan. Scroll through to see all of it.
Before you start setting things up, you'll want to download the app to your iOS device for instructions (the Android version is due in the coming weeks).
To get started, you'll need to log in. You can do so using Google or Facebook if you like, but I chose to stick with an email and password, instead.
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Privacy concerns
From there, it quickly works to get out in front of any privacy concerns you might have regarding sharing nearly naked renderings of yourself with the cloud. That might not be enough for some folks, but I say good on the Naked Labs team for being transparent about their standards.
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Terms and conditions
Finally, the app offers links to all of the fine print, and lets you choose to opt into anonymized data sharing. This is a much better approach than leaving data sharing on by default and making users search through the settings to opt out.
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Start the setup
OK, time to start setting the thing up. The app starts by giving you some pointers on where not to place your mirror. If you were thinking of sticking it in the bathroom, think again -- the humidity from your morning showers might damage the mirror's built-in cameras.
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Think about light
You'll also want to keep the mirror in a shady spot away from direct light. And you'll obviously need a power outlet nearby (or an extension cord, at least).
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Clearance
The mirror and scale require a little bit of clearance to get accurate scans of your body. The scale will sit 32 inches in front of the scanner while in use, and you'll want to keep a 24-inch radius around it clear, too.
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Take a look
Here's how it looks on the bottom. Note the built-in holder for the USB-C charging cable that you'll use to top up the scale's battery (you just plug it into the hard-wired mirror).
Well, almost ready. We've still got a little bit of setup left. We'll start by connecting the mirror to our home's Wi-Fi network, giving it a name, and making sure that the firmware is up to date.
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Time to scan
Ready for our first scan? We've got a few things to consider first. For instance, we'll want to make sure that there isn't any bright light in the room that could throw off the scanner. The built-in cameras work a little like radar, pinging waves off of your body to measure the distance and depth. That means that they don't need light in order to scan your body. You can even scan in the dark if you want.
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Check your hair
The scanner recommends keeping your hair short and away from your neck. Ponytails and buns will work if you have long hair, though you can also just put on a shower cap or a swim cap.
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Clothing optional
As for clothing, you'll want to wear tight-fitting underwear that doesn't alter your body's natural form. And yes, you can scan in the buff if you so choose.
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Align the scale
It's important that the scale is in perfect alignment with the mirror during your scan. Luckily, there's a handy red laser that'll show you right where to place it. Neat trick!
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Practice your stance
With the scale in the right spot, you'll want to practice standing on the scale in the correct stance. You'll need to step onto the scale within a few seconds after initiating the scan, then hold still as it slowly rotates.
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That was easy
Standing on the scale as it spins isn't difficult -- the motion is gentle and slow. Afterward, you'll step off and wait for the data -- all 4GB of it -- to be compiled and compressed into a smaller-size 3D rendering you can view on your phone.
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Accuracy
As for accuracy, the Naked Labs Body Scanner claims it can measure things like chest circumference and arm length to within one-quarter of an inch. As for body fat, the scanner uses a proprietary algorithm that claims an accuracy of +/- 2.5 percent.
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Your first scan
Here's a peek at my first scan. You can set it as your baseline scan upon which future measurements will be compared, and you can also tag each scan with labels like "good day," "bad day" and "diet."
The app also lets you check all sorts of body measurements, or rotate and zoom if you really want to scrutinize the way you look. You can also view two scans side by side to compare the way your body has changed over time.
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Tech support
One last note: The Naked Labs team offers very decent tech support. We had a small Bluetooth hiccup early on during testing, and after calling the number in the app, they were able to sort us out within minutes. Plus, I got this nifty scan of myself on the phone with them when they checked to see if their solution worked!
Note that this scan didn't return any measurements -- if the mirror detects that you're wearing clothing or that something else is throwing the scan off, it'll let you know that there's something wrong and ask you to scan again.
