Department of Chemistry, Materials and Forensic Sciences

Forensic Science Facilities

Video Spectral Comparator

The VSC2000/HR (Foster+Freeman) is a comprehensive digital imaging system with an extensive range of features and applications. Techniques include examination in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum carried out with incident and transmitted UV, visible and infrared illumination up to 1000 nm. Equipped with a high resolution digital colour video camera the VSC offers 1360 x 1024 pixel output providing excellent image quality. Software features include casework management; image integration, processing and measurement; colour measurement and archiving facilities.

Polilight and Poliview

The Polilight (Rofin Australian) is the leading forensic light source for both scene and laboratory applications. The instrument produces 14 light bands in the UV, visible and infrared range delivered via a flexible light guide. Applications include latent fingerprint and document examination, as well as for trace evidence such as fibers, bloodstains, hairs, paint chips, semen, saliva and some illicit drugs.

The Poliview (Rofin Australia) is an integrated image detection and enhancement system that incorporates the Polilight. The system includes a CCD camera with 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution and a 14x zoom lens, capable of 10 minute integration times and employs all available optical techniques - fluorescence, reflection, absorption, and transmission imaging.

Fibre Finder

The tedious, time consuming and expensive nature of searching for foreign fibres on tape lifts in forensic casework lead to the development of automatic fibre finder systems. These systems make an automated search for fibres using colour as a criterion. The Maxcan Fibre Finder (Cox Analytical Systems AB) is a bench top instrument equipped with a high resolution scanner (5000 dpi), sheet feeder and computer.

The fibre finder evaluates colour by the HSL model, analogous to the way humans view colour. Reference targets are scanned, defined & added to a database. Simultaneous searches of tapings of fibers with colours that fall within target limits can then be carried out; up to 16 definitions at once on 16 single pages. Though the main application is fibre identification research at UTS have shown the Maxcan can selectively detect and sort fibers, hair and dandruff, all frequently found on garment tape lifts.

Ballistics Comparison Microscope

The Leica DMC comparison microscope is ideally equipped for forensic examination; allowing similarities and differences between two bullets or cartridges to be compared. Split-image and superimposed image comparisons are possible, with the microscope being equipped with a CCD camera for photography and video documentation. A key feature of the microscope is that the light is focused through the objective, dramatically increasing definition of surface features visible to the eye. The end magnification ranges from 4x to 80x, corresponding to object field sizes of 50mm to 2.5mm. A large variability of clamping and mounts for different objects are available.