If you are a 80s or a 90s kid then you would remember that a visit to a railway station in India always ended up in being fascinated with those weighing machines. With multicoloured bulbs illuminating inside, a spinning wheel, some catchy music, the weighing machines were instant attention grabbers. You had to put a one-rupee coin, the machine made some weird noises and pop came out a small ticket like card which told you how much you weighed. It’s accuracy was in always in doubt but the experience was always fun. The world has moved on in so many ways since those days and so has the way one actually measures weight. We are talking about smart scales that not only tell you the body weight but perform a whole lot of other functions. Here we tell you all you need to know about smart scales:

What are smart scales

A smart weighing scale works electronically and it not only measures wright but also other body metrics. A smart weighing scale can tell you the amount of body fat you have, the body water and even body mass index (BMI). One can send all the data to an app and automatically keeps a regular track record of your body metrics.

How does a smart scale work?

Fundamentally, it works on the same principle as any other weighing scale. A person has to step on the smart scale and with the use of sensors the smart scale produces data like BMI, body fat percentage. Almost all smart scales are battery-operated and offer either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity for you to connect it to a smartphone.

What are the benefits of using a smart scale?

One of the biggest benefit is that you can keep a track of your body metrics routinely. You can share it with your doctor in case it’s needed. It can be a useful tool in tracking pregnancy and post-pregnancy weight in women.

Smart scales are easy to use and come in stylish and sleek designs. One doesn’t need to memorise or keep a track of your weight and other things like BMI, bone density if you have a smart scale.

Things to consider while buying a smart scale

Look for the size and weight as buying a smaller and lighter scale is a better idea — it doesn’t take too much space and isn’t an eyesore in your house either.
Always check for connectivity options — the more the better. The smart scale should have at least one of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity support.
Check for number of body metrics it can track. A good smart scale should be able to give you detailed information on several body metrics.
Some other things to keep in mind are how many people’s data can it track, whether it works with third-party apps and the size of the LCD screen on the smart scale.

How much do smart scales cost?

There are many brands offering smart scales in the market. Lenovo, Eufy by Anker, Xiaomi, Omron, GoQii have smart scales that can cost anywhere between Rs 1,100 to Rs 4,000.