Currently, if police forensics teams want to preserve evidence of shoeprints or tire tread marks at a crime scene, they either have to take photographs or plaster casts, if not both. In development right now is a new technology for taking high-resolution 3-D images of such evidence in both snow and soil.
The system is expected to cost around $5,000, which is 1/10 the cost of current systems on the market, and could one day be an alternative to plaster casting. The expectation is that it would also let investigators with virtually no technical background take high-quality images with an easy-to-use interface.
According to Song Zhang, an associate professor in Purdue University‘s School of Mechanical Engineering, who is leading the effort:
“Most shoes have very small cracks from wear in addition to their design pattern, and our system will be able to capture these distinct features. These marks are unique to a specific shoe.”
New Portable, User-friendly Crime-scene Forensics Tech Will Take High-resolution 3-D Images of Shoeprints, Tire Tracks in Snow and Soil [via Purdue University]
