Handheld Scanner Maps Out Crime Scenes In 3D [Video]
Developed by CSIRO, the Zebedee scanner recreates specific areas as digital maps
Police in Queensland, Australia has been issued a special scanner that can help them create three-dimensional maps of crime scenes in less than half an hour.
The Zebedee scanner or the ZEB1 was developed by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization or CSIRO, Australia’s national research agency, and was originally designed to map caves and mines. The handheld device captures location information, which is then used to recreate scenes as a 3D map.
The scanner can potentially save police time and reduce forensic scanning of a crime scene to less than 30 minutes, as well as enable them to access hard-to-reach areas where setting up camera equipment can be difficult. The scanner can help speed up the collection of information required for police investigation, and the digital maps created using the Zebedee scanner can also be used to illustrate crime scenes during court cases.
According to an article on ZDNet, the Zebedee scanner will be used by Queensland Police’s Forensic Services to map out crime scenes, but it can also be used by the Forensic Crash Unit.
For a quick demo of how the device works, watch the video below.