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Potential Benefits of Computational Forensics
 The forensics anthropology community currently does facial
reconstruction by hand.
The scientist begins by gently removing any debris
or dirt from the remains. Then they mark the depth of the skin at
different positions on the skull, by gluing erasers to the skull.
Clay is used to build bridges between the erasers and then smoothed
to try to give the skull a life-like appearance.
There are many disadvantages to this time-consuming
process. The skin depth data is old and not from a broad range of genotypes.
The handling required risks damage to the remains. Using computational forensics
tools remains could be reconstructed faster, cheaper, with more
detail, greater accuracy, and less handling.
Law Enforcement
The Law Enforcement division starts with a set of human
remains and a possible homicide. Quick identification of the victim
can be key to identifying potential suspects and motives.
The Family of the Deceased
When human remains are discovered, families of missing persons wonder
if their loved one has been found. The wait for identification of
the remains can be agonizing.
In addition to shortening the wait, computational reconstruction
is more compassionate since the families can look at a
computer-generated image instead of a clay model built
on the actual skull.
Community Involvement
This project is a prototype, using a small set of data limited by
gender, genotype, and age range.
A full implementation would require lots of MRIs from many different types
of individuals. With more MRI files the scientists
can better match a wider range of human remains.
Community members could get involved by volunteering to have an MRI.
project background |
potential benefits
pilot summary | image gallery
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