The Use of a 3-D Laser Scanner to Document Ephemeral Evidence at Crime Scenes and Postmortem Examinations

Created on January 29, 2012

Komar, D. A., Davy-Jow, S. & Decker, S. J. The Use of a 3-D Laser Scanner to Document Ephemeral Evidence at Crime Scenes and Postmortem Examinations. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 57 (1), pp. 188–191. January 2012. Available online.

ABSTRACT

Proper documentation of physical evidence at both crimes scenes and postmortem examination is crucial for downstream analysis, interpretation, and presentation in court. Ephemeral or transient evidence poses particular challenges to investigators, as its very nature renders it difficult or impossible to seize and maintain in its original physical state. The use of a hand-held three-dimensional (3-D) laser scanner is proposed to capture and document such evidence, both in the field and at autopsy. Advantages of the scanner over traditional means of documentation such as photography or casting include the ability to obtain measurements in all dimensions, the ability to reconstruct missing elements, and the ease with which generated images can be interpreted by the jury at trial. Potential scenarios warranting the use of the scanner are identified, and the limitations of its use are discussed.

Bootstrapper recognizes tabletop computer users by their shoes

Created on January 28, 2012

Facial recognition might be all the rage in giving computer systems the ability to ascertain the identity of individuals - what with most people having different facial features and all. But a team from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, has taken a different approach to identify users of touch-based tabletop computers like Microsoft's Surface. Instead of focusing on the face, the team has looked in the opposite direction to develop a system known as Bootstrapper which distinguishes between users based on their footwear.

Read the article on Gizmag

Bayesianism Not Banned in Britain

Created on January 19, 2012

Cosma Shalizi, an Assistant Professor in the Statistics Department at Carnegie Mellon University, provided his perspective on the use of statistics by the footwear expert in R v T (in the UK) on his blog.

Read his blog post.