Australian Police Deploy 3D Crime Scene Scanner

angry tapir writes "Police in the Australian state of Queensland will employ a handheld laser scanner that can be used to map crime scenes, including in areas where there is no GPS reception. The police will use the Australian developed Zebedee laser scanner: A LiDAR scanner that is mounted on a spring. As a user walks around, the spring moves and the scanner captures the surrounding area. Software processing then uses the data to construct a 3D model. Previously the technology has been used to capture areas of cultural significance, such as the interior of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. As an added bonus, the Zebedee looks ridiculous when in use."

Comments

I just watched the video

[93 Escort Wagon]

I swear, sometimes it seems like electrical and computer engineers are on a mission to make everyone else look as socially inept and awkward as they are.

I hope someone's recording the first time some guy is walking around with that Zebedee and happens to approach a group of attractive women... the jokes will write themselves!

Re:I just watched the video

[K. S. Kyosuke]

I swear, sometimes it seems like electrical and computer engineers are on a mission to make everyone else look as socially inept and awkward as they are.

Almost. They could have gone one step further and named it the Flail of Minor Digitization.

Re:I just watched the video

[cheater512]

Nope. That is what makes this system interesting. I needs to be deliberately unstable.

The spring makes it flop around in all directions from just the slightest movements by the operator.

First use:

[The Archon V2.0]

Checking for any jack-in-the-box crime near the Magic Roundabout.

Belt Buckle Mounting Option, Please!

[Kevoco]

Because my, um....

Cave mapping

[aardvarkjoe]

My first thought was that this would be a really cool method of mapping caves. It turns out that this system has already been put to that use (http://www.lidarnews.com/content/view/9581/2/).

I wonder how long it will be before this kind of thing is accessible to individuals.

Re:Cave mapping

[jrcgarry]

The laser scanner looks like a Hokuyo UTM LX30 (or perhaps the USB version) and they retail for around 6k USD. The devs have to be congratulated for weaving in a reference to a 1970s UK TV show. I wonder what a sensor named Ermintrude or Dylan would have looked like.

this thing need a fairing

[bobbagum]

in order to sell to organizations, the thing need to look more professional instead of cobbled together from random parts first, this thing need a rubberized fairing that can flex with the spring, and painted to suit intended users, yellow brown is good, black is better and then add options for helmet mount, you can put this on hardhats in construction site or police's helmet, or if the hardware can be rotated, the spring can probably be mounted on a belt

Re:this thing need a fairing

[michael.bosse]

We tried a rubberized fairing once, but it drastically damped the spring's motion and made it take a lot more effort to keep the sensor moving.

Re:What has GPS got to do with it?

[coolsnowmen]

Differential GPS has an accuracy about 10cm. Simply taking the location info on any thing of note might have been good enough for mapping basic crime scenes. Clearly, this is better, but also, more expensive.

gigapanoramas

[Fencepost]

I'd also expect within the next year or two (or less, considering how cheap they are) that police will be documenting crime scenes with "gigapixel" panoramas. Gigapan sells a robotic mount for DSLRs for under $1000, and I'm sure they're not the only ones.

Mount it on the hat

[abies]

and proudly introduce yourself as Inspector Gadget.

Re:Prometheus

[Ksevio]

Now if we can just invent floating orb technology, and stick some visible red lasers on the outside, we'll be in business for mapping alien spaceships!

Re: Their logo

[mjwx]

Oh ya, I get the Australia pattern. I'm sure the Cisco logo "inspired" them.

Under Oz law, the logo is unique enough. We apply a very simple test, if a 7 year old can tell them apart, they aren't the same.

CSIRO was founded in 1928 compared to Cisco's 1984. I'm not sure when the current logo was created (same with Cisco's current logo).

Here are a few of CSIRO's older logo's, it could easily be argued that it's just an evolution of their older logo's:
Logo 1
Logo 2

Besides this, companies usually sue over trade dress, logo's, et al. when there is a risk of brand dilution or harm to the brand (except if you're Apple, then you sue because you're bonkers). With the quality of Cisco's latest kit, being accidentally confused for CSIRO would do more good than harm.