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This Robot Collects Fingerprints

Posted by timothy on from the maybe-autographs-too dept.

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."

18 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. Yergblerghas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny


    Mounted on an ordinary robot

    Great, the T-1000 series try to extinguish humanity by smothering us with Super Glue fumes.

  2. Christmas presents by r_glen · · Score: 5, Funny

    Squirt gun - age 7
    Remote control vehicle - age 10
    Camera - age 14

    Dammit, I could have invented this thing 10 years ago!

  3. Cartoon in the making? by Jaywalk · · Score: 4, Funny
    I can just see a Looney Tune scenario in the making when someone touches a bomb covered with Super Glue . . .

    (Oh, admit it. You thought the same thing.)

    --
    ===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
  4. Just what we need... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...a glue-sniffing robot. I can already see hordes of them loitering on street corners in dingy Slipknot t-shirts pestering me for change.

  5. Super by blackmonday · · Score: 3, Funny

    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.

  6. But.. by BorkBorkBork6000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wouldn't it be much cheaper to hire the homeless or students to take the prints?

    1. Re:But.. by MalaclypseTheYounger · · Score: 3, Funny

      True story.. a friend of mine used to sell robotic bomb-finding machines. They had a 85% success rate of defusing bombs. They cost about 10 million US to purchase.

      A Russian military person was interested in the machines, until he found out that if the robot failed to defuse the bomb, they usually were broken beyond repair.

      He said "We'll just stick to using soldiers. They're much cheaper"

      Nice. :)

      --
      Check out the best P2P sharing website: MEDIACHEST.COM
  7. Re:Beverly Hillls Cop, too! by Luguber123 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have no problem with making a list of people who qualifies for the job!

  8. I can just see it... by ArbiterOne · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Sir..." "What?" "The robot appears to have glued its fingers together, sir..." "Darnit! Do we have any nail polish remover?"

  9. Re:Remote Controlled Device not robot by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    Why are the more esoteric remote controlled devices called robots?

    I call my RealDoll "Becky".

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  10. I smell sitcom! by ArmenTanzarian · · Score: 4, Funny

    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

  11. It's not a glue sniffing robot. by Jin+Wicked · · Score: 4, Funny

    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
    1. Re:It's not a glue sniffing robot. by drivelikejehu · · Score: 3, Funny

      If by brought to justice you mean being blown to smithereens, I can't agree with you more.

  12. Re:Counter-Robot by kill-hup · · Score: 4, Funny

    They already have! It's called a GLOVE ;)

    Smart criminals don't assemble packages/leave home without them.

    --
    Sinepaw.org: Grape Winos
  13. Re: finger prints by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny
    This Robot Collects Fingerprints
    So does my monitor, my TV screen, the fridge, windows, etc. Can I have my grant now?

    (Yeah, I RTFA. It's a joke :-)

  14. Oh no! My $250,000 finger print robot by blueZ3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    glued itself to the bomb!

    --
    Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
  15. An anecdote... by CPM+User · · Score: 3, Funny
    Many years ago now, we had a job to do in Belfast, and after work we got very drunk in a pub. We left the car parked directly outside the pub and when we returned for it in the morning, the army had blown it up after someone had phoned in some car bomb threat. It later turned out that our insurance did not cover this sort of thing.

    Fortunately, it wasn't me that had to explain what had happened to the shiny new company car.

  16. Canadian robot eh? by xRelisH · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is it made out of wood and will it play hockey?