BlindSite: Blood, Lipid and Illicit Narcotics Detection and Situation

After a serious crime such as murder, physical or sexual assault, crime scenes are forensically examined for body fluids such as blood, saliva, sweat and semen; however, the detection and visualisation of such physical evidence (e.g. Luminol to confirm blood) may destroy or irreversibly change it. Frequently there are other challenges including attempted removal/destruction of forensic evidence, fire, explosion, or presence of other chemicals e.g. bleach which can render many forensic techniques ineffective.

Unfortunately, budget cuts, closure of the Forensic Science Service in 2012 and increasing reliance of the police on unregulated experts to conduct forensic testing has left it in a poor state with forensic work fragmented between police forces and providers and R&D in forensic science had stagnated, falling behind with advances in science in contrast to the high-tech public perception of forensic science fostered by popular television programmes.

Smytec proposes to redress this balance with BlindSite (Blood, Lipids and Illicit Narcotics Detection and Situation) a novel imaging technique deployed in a hand-held device that detects bodily secretions, drugs, and explosives. This technology is innovative and completely novel to the forensic testing market. The project objective is to develop the technology to be used by police forces and forensic services to improve the accuracy and efficiency of crime scene evaluation.