Forensics

​​Hyperspectral cameras allow us to see what's invisible to the human eye, and even determine what things are made of. Unfortunately, the devices have tended to be big and cumbersome, limiting them to use in labs. Now, however, there's a portable model on the market.​

​In police work, it's important to be able to prove that what you suspect is a narcotic really IS a narcotic. It is with this in mind that Spectral Engines is creating a portable drug-screening device. It's described as "the first re-usable pocket-sized scanner for police patrols."

The suitably-named Dr John Bond of the University of Leicester has devised a "magic" marker pen that to helps quickly determine whether a receipt potentially containing fingerprint deposits is made of thermal paper, with another device then used to reveal the presence of any fingerprints.

The Roswell Police Department has purchased a Faro Focus3D Scanner which allows them to create 3D maps of crime scenes that they can then navigate and study using a computer or mobile device.

Using 3D-ID software, forensic investigators can determine the gender and ancestry of a human skull.

Computer scientist David Collins has developed a toolkit that allows law enforcement agencies to scour an Xbox hard-disk drive and other data-storage devices much more easil in search of illicit material.

Wiping the gun clean has long been considered best practice for villains but may soon become a quaint custom. Researchers have developed a way to ‘visualize fingerprints’ even after the print itself has been removed by measuring the corrosion of the surface by deposits from the fingerprints.

April 27, 2007 The Crime Scene Investigation TV writers regularly impress us with their rapid deployment of new technologies, so it’ll be interesting to see ho