Automatic Hyperspectral Camera for Latent Fingerprint Detection and Contrast Enhancement

50460-98-I Automatic Hyperspectral Camera for Latent Fingerprint Detection and Contrast Enhancement--Physical Optics Corporation, 20600 Gramercy Place, Suite 103, Torrance, CA 90501-1821; (310) 530-1416 Dr. Paul Shnitser, Principal Investigator Ms. Patty Shaw, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-98ER82637 Amount: $74,996 The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for the physical security of its facilities and must safeguard its premises, their contents, and employees against crime. If illicit activities occur, the perpetrators must be identified clearly, quickly, and unambiguously. These responsibilities are common to both DOE and law enforcement agencies. A developed and identified image present on material from a crime scene represents one of the most powerful pieces of evidence linking a suspect to the scene. More methods are needed to visualize latent images. This project will develop and demonstrate an innovative portable imaging camera that can detect weak fluorescent images and perform immediate automatic contrast enhancement of these images at a crime scene. The process eliminates the labor-consuming tasks of collecting suspicious samples and processing and analyzing them under laboratory conditions. This approach was demonstrated previously to detect small targets in cluttered backgrounds. Phase I will develop and deliver for testing to the designated facility a special hyperspectral imaging camera with computer software and a laser for fluorescence excitation of latent fingerprints or other latent images. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The proposed camera and technology will provide real-time fluorescent images of selected objects (such as fingerprints) with enhanced contrast. It will suppress images of other objects in the field-of-view, facilitating the careful investigation of a crime scene in a shorter time span and eliminating the processing of irrelevant images._