Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT)
Definition
High-resolution X-ray tomography producing volumetric 3D images. Used experimentally to recover latent fingerprints from curved laboratory exhibits without destructive development.
- Method
- X-ray tomography
- Output
- Volumetric 3D image
- Current use
- Experimental research technique
- Advantage
- Non-destructive to the exhibit
- Target exhibits
- Curved surfaces hard to process conventionally
Common questions
Why is a curved exhibit a problem for conventional print development?+
Powders and most chemical developers are applied and photographed on a roughly flat plane; a curved surface distorts ridge geometry in a 2D photograph and can trap or unevenly deposit reagent, so detail is lost or misrepresented compared with a flat print.
What limits micro-CT from routine casework use?+
Scan times, equipment cost, and access are the main barriers; micro-CT scanners are not standard laboratory equipment, and the technique remains confined to research studies rather than validated operational protocols.
Related terms
- 3D Fingerprint Capture
- Technology that creates a three-dimensional surface map of fingerprint ridge detail, typically using structured-light projection or photogrammetry, rather than a flat 2D...
- ACE-V
- Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, Verification: the four-stage method for latent print examination used by accredited forensic fingerprint laboratories. Analysis examines the latent in...
- Amino Acid Racemisation
- The conversion of biologically produced L-amino acids to D-amino acids over time at a temperature-dependent rate. The D/L ratio of aspartic acid...
- Blind Verification
- The procedure in which a second fingerprint examiner independently performs the Analysis and Comparison stages without knowledge of the first examiner's conclusion....
- MALDI-MSI
- Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry imaging; a technique that maps the spatial distribution of chemical compounds across a fingerprint surface without...
- NIST Latent Quality Metric
- A convolutional neural network-based quality scoring tool developed by NIST that assigns a quality score to latent fingerprint images in ANSI/NIST ITL...
- Squalene
- A polyunsaturated hydrocarbon abundant in sebaceous fingerprint secretions that oxidises over time; the ratio of squalene to its oxidation products is a...
- Structured-Light Projection
- A 3D imaging method in which a known grid pattern of light is projected onto a surface; the distortion of the pattern...
- ULTR (Uniform Language for Testimony and Reports)
- US Department of Justice standards restricting the language fingerprint examiners may use in court testimony and reports, prohibiting certainty claims not supported...