18. Invention, Intellectual Property and Income

BMI Calculator Project

1. Project Overview: The Invention

The BMI Calculator is an interactive, automated device designed to measure a person's weight and height, compute their Body Mass Index (BMI), and display the result instantly. It is composed of:

By automating these basic health checks, the device simplifies and speeds up BMI monitoring in schools, clinics, and community health programs.

2. Motivation and Local Relevance

Why I Built This

I was inspired to develop this system to address a common gap in routine health checks, particularly in low-resource settings like Rwanda. Many communities lack affordable diagnostic tools for basic health data like BMI, which is a crucial indicator of nutritional status.

Connection to Rwanda's Needs

With national programs focused on fighting malnutrition and obesity, this tool could support health workers by:

This project demonstrates how locally developed, affordable tech can improve lives and support digital public health transformation.

3. Dissemination Strategy

To ensure this project reaches and benefits others, I plan to: Publish all documentation, CAD files, firmware, and system integration guides on my Fab Academy project page
Upload source files and code to GitLab under an open license
Share demo videos and technical breakdowns
Present the project in local maker spaces, FabLab Rwanda, or at innovation expos focusing on health tech or digital fabrication

4. Intellectual Property Plan

To encourage learning and responsible reuse, I chose Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA)
This allows others to use, adapt, and build upon the project for non-commercial purposes, as long as they credit me and share their version under the same license.

License

BMI Calculator © 2025 by Olivier Nteziryayo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

5. Income Potential and Business Opportunities

Short Term Ideas

Long Term Ideas

6. What I Learned (Reflections)

Throughout this project, I have:

7. Final Deliverables

Project Summary

Files

CAD Design: Solidworks

8. Conclusion

The BMI Calculator is not just a final project—it's a real step toward accessible, community-driven healthcare solutions using digital fabrication. I plan to continue refining it, build partnerships for real-world deployment, and promote its use as an example of local innovation with global relevance.