title: Future technologies.
abstract: Research and development in the area of body composition has undergone considerable changes in the last decade. These changes have resulted in part from the improvement of established techniques-but also from the introduction of methods based upon principles new to body composition studies. One can observe in recent developments a trend towards less invasive techniques, and cheaper, more portable instrumentation. There has also been a move towards improving the efficacy of the information obtained. The trend towards less invasive techniques, which includes lower dose, is particularly important when considering applications involving children. The question of 'future technologies' needs to be considered against the background of these developments if one is to propose the direction of future research. This paper considers possible new and modified technologies which may find application in the measurement of body composition. In addition, currently emerging technologies which need further research and development will be discussed. Examples of technologies examined in this paper include: •a possible new approach to measurement of bone mineral density in neonates using laser beam transmission, •possible modification of dual-energy X-ray absorption (DEXA) techniques for improved precision in the measurement of the relative lean/fat component, and •the research required to validate the use of multifrequency bio-electrical impedance analysis for measurement of extracellular and total body water.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Medical and Health Physics, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Thomas