Foster + Freeman announce further innovations in fingerprint detection

EVESHAM, U.K. - Oct. 6, 2014 - PRLog -- Having focussed significant resources in the area of fingerprint detection and examination, researchers at Foster + Freeman are responsible for a number of significant innovations that enable examiners to visualise latent fingerprints. Now, as part of the company’s ongoing research into the forensic applications of infrared illumination, a novel fingerpint powder is set to become the latest Foster + Freeman development to improve the quality of fingerprint evidence.

Early trials of a new IR dusting powder that is safe to use, non-toxic, and easy to apply, have provided exceptional results on a wide variety of ‘difficult’ surfaces including plastics, metals, and glossy papers with densely patterned backgrounds.

Dr. Roberto King, the Foster + Freeman R&D Applications Specialist leading the IR Powder project, spoke enthusiastically of the early results,

“People seeing the [IR powder dusted] prints for the first time assume that they have been subjected to further enhancement. When I tell them that they are looking at a live camera feed they are genuinely taken aback.”

The impressive results can be attributed to the fact that the powder fluoresces beyond the visible spectrum, as Dr. King explained;

“Most luminescent fingerprint powders emit visible fluorescence when excited with a narrowband lightsource. However, in some cases the fluorescence does not stand out brightly enough against a ‘busy’ background or worse still the background may fluoresce at the same wavelength as the powder. By using a powder that emits fluorescence in the infrared, previously troublesome backgrounds can often be seen to ‘drop-out’ completely. This reveals a high contrast print with excellent ridge detail.”

The  powder, which is soon to be the subject of a peer reviewed paper, has been designed for use with Crime-lite forensic light sources (http://www.fosterfreeman.com/index.php/forensic-light-sou...) and/or the Crime-lite Imager fingerprint enhancement workstation (http://www.fosterfreeman.com/index.php/fingerprint-eviden...).