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This Robot Collects Fingerprints
Roland Piquepaille writes "When police officers found suspicious packages today in an airport or a train station, they destroyed them immediately, along with potential fingerprints on them. A new robotic device, dubbed RAFFE (short for "Robot Accessory for Fuming Fingerprint Evidence), developed by scientists from the University of Toronto (U of T) and the University of Calgary, offers a solution to this problem. Mounted on an ordinary robot, it will reveal fingerprints by releasing Super Glue on the object. Then it will take pictures of these fingerprints. The Calgary Police Service is already using RAFFE for field tests. This overview contains more details and extra references."
Mounted on an ordinary robot
Great, the T-1000 series try to extinguish humanity by smothering us with Super Glue fumes.
Squirt gun - age 7
Remote control vehicle - age 10
Camera - age 14
Dammit, I could have invented this thing 10 years ago!
right to privately leave unmarked packages in an airport?
(Oh, admit it. You thought the same thing.)
===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
How are you going to take a picture of the prints if they're covered in glue?
Last time I used Super Glue I glued by thumb and index finger together for an hour. I hope this robot is better at sticking that little pin in the container than I am.
Cue jokes about Johnny-5 super-gluing himself to random objects.
Wouldn't it be much cheaper to hire the homeless or students to take the prints?
I have no problem with making a list of people who qualifies for the job!
"Sir..." "What?" "The robot appears to have glued its fingers together, sir..." "Darnit! Do we have any nail polish remover?"
Why are the more esoteric remote controlled devices called robots?
I call my RealDoll "Becky".
Trolling is a art,
Two members of the bomb squad, like a modern day odd couple and their lovable sarcastic robot friend who squirts super glue on them. Hijinx... ready.... GO!!!1
It's a glue dispensing robot, which means that it will be followed where-ever it goes by kids in Slipknot t-shirts pestering you for change.
On the plus side, it will make it rather easy for these rampant glue-junkies to be brought to justice, making the streets safer for us all.
My Webcomic: Asylum on 5th Street
They already have! It's called a GLOVE ;)
Smart criminals don't assemble packages/leave home without them.
Sinepaw.org: Grape Winos
Also, loss of life doesn't seem to be an issue here... apparently being on the bomb squad gets you laid almost as much as being a post-9/11 fireman.
--
Power to the Peaceful
(Yeah, I RTFA. It's a joke :-)
Where do I get an ordinary robot?
What is an "ordinary" robot? It's not like I can go to the local robot dealer and look at base model "ordinary" robots vs the sports package or "pleasure model" AWESOM-O 4000.
Please define "ordinary robot". Most of the robots I see in cartoons or movies are quite extraordinary. Thanks in advance, bitches.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
glued itself to the bomb!
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Fortunately, it wasn't me that had to explain what had happened to the shiny new company car.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Mounted on an ordinary robot, it will reveal fingerprints by releasing Super Glue on the object. Then it will take pictures of these fingerprints.
Tee hee! My uncle does this to me too!I'm tired of hearing Canada being labled as a safe-haven for terrorists...
:)
Well, you could just stop watching Fox News.
...of taking pictures of things before you blow the shit out of them.
Is it made out of wood and will it play hockey?
As the fumes adhere to the drop of oil on the small light sensor in the dot of the exlamation point, covering it in an opaque white coating, there's a faint click deep inside the bomb.
"Damnit, that robot was expensive!" the squad captain says to his lieutenant, as they huddle behind their van, debris raining down around them.