Team Project - 2021
Team parnter: Valerie Feiertag
in collaboration with the Swedish Police Authority
and the Department of Chemistry at Umeå University

Non destructive sample analysis for crime scene investigators

Samples of body-fluids and other substances gathered at a crime scene are sent to the Swedish National Forensic Center to be analysed further. Only they have the clearance of giving court proof results for a case. The Police Force itself is not equipped with the necessary laboratory devices for an inhouse assessment of samples. This results in a high amount of inquiries at NFC and longer processing times. LINK enables the Swedish Police Force to pre-analyse
samples and picking the most promising ones to sent to NFC for further testing. The Raman laser system used in the device is able to identify and compare substances in a non-destructive way through spectral analysis. Together with a digital filling system, LINK supports the police officers in their investigation and allows them to focus more on field related work.

Acting out a crime scene

To step into the shoes of crime scene investigators and identify relevant design opportunities we acted out what happens at crime scenes during investigations.

Together with a Professor from the Department of Chemistry at Umeå University we validated the potential of our idea and tested if it could be possible to use Raman Spectroscopy for our use case.

What is LINK?

Link analyses and compares evidence samples taken on crime scenes through Vibrational Spectroscopy.

Link is connected to a database and uses reference samples to identify substances.

Link is non-destructive to the sample and produces test results within seconds.

Link supports police investigators while taking and processing evidence for further forensic analysis.