Forensics Observation and Analysis

• Biological examination
  This field analyzes, examines, and inspects biological samples—such as blood, bones, hair, and saliva—related to an incident or crime from the medicolegal perspective.
• Chemical identification
  This field chemically examines and inspects materials—such as coating and fibers left at scenes of incidents, oils collected at scenes of fires, and illegally dumped industrial waste—as well as inspects drugs and poisons related to illegal drug cases and poisoning death cases.
• Physical identification
  This field estimates the circumstances of accidents and identifies causes of fire cases and traffic accidents by performing on-site investigations and reproductive experiments. This field also analyses security footage, images, and recorded sounds and voices and also examines and inspects materials such as guns and bullets.
• Document examination
  This field examines and inspects documents. For example, identification of handwriting and seals on documents, such as contracts and letters; identification of printed fraudulent materials, such as paper currencies, cash vouchers, and driver licenses; identification of printers used for threatening letters; and detection of signs of doctoring. When psychological examination and inspection are required in addition to document examination, a polygraph is used.

In forensics, components of evidence, blood, DNA, and other related materials are analyzed. Additionally, it is important to use microscopes to capture, observe, and analyze the appearance in a sophisticated and non-destructive manner.Some concrete examples are given below.

• Fingerprint identification
• Handwriting identification
• Fiber identification
• Adhering substance identification
• Image capturing of skin, hair, and dental features
• Identification of plankton in fluids left in airways
• Image capturing of rifling marks
• Image capturing of signs of cutting and melting
• Identification of printed fraudulent materials

Hair collected at scenes is important evidence for identifying perpetrators and people involved in incidents.
The VHX Series 4K digital microscope has a large depth of field, enabling observation with 4K images clearly focused on hair cuticles even at high magnifications.
This microscope is also equipped with a motorized revolver and a seamless zoom function, enabling automatic switching of the magnification from 20x to 6000x with no lens replacement.The magnification can be switched easily and quickly with a mouse or handheld controller while watching the screen.
In addition to hair, various types of evidence, such as skin, can be observed at high magnifications with higher sophistication and efficiency.

High-magnification observation of hair using the VHX Series 4K digital microscope

Coaxial illumination (2000x)

The VHX Series can precisely measure 2D and 3D dimensions using observation images. As such, the outer diameter and cross-section shape (profile) of hair can be measured in a non-destructive and non-contact manner, enabling speedy quantitative comparison and identification as well as analysis of various marks.

Evidence can have various surface conditions. Lustrous evidence having curved surfaces—such as metal dental crowns, in particular—can diffuse reflected light, causing glare. This makes it difficult to determine lighting conditions, requiring a lot of time and effort.
The VHX Series 4K digital microscope can simplify lighting condition determination, enabling quick observation. This microscope is equipped with the Multi-lighting function, which automatically captures multiple images with omnidirectional lighting at the press of a button.The observation can be started simply by selecting the image from the multiple captured images that is visually most suitable for the purpose. This function dramatically reduces the condition determination time required with conventional microscopes.

Observation of metal dental crowns using the VHX Series 4K digital microscope

Ring illumination (200x)

Images other than that used for observation are also automatically stored and thus can be used again. Hence, there is no need to place the important evidence on the stage again to determine conditions even when the evidence needs to be observed under different conditions.
Additionally, by simply selecting a past image, the lighting conditions and settings used for capturing that image can be fully reproduced. Therefore, multiple samples of the same type of evidence can be observed under the same conditions, which is useful for quantitative examination.

Fingerprints are important marks for identifying people who have handled the evidence. However, it may be difficult to capture clear magnified images if the collected fingerprints have low contrast on the background.
The VHX Series 4K digital microscope simplifies the operations for light condition determination and other settings, enabling easy capturing of clear images even at high magnifications.

Observation of fingerprints using the VHX Series 4K digital microscope
Fingerprints may have low contrast on the background during ordinary observation. This product is equipped with the High Dynamic Range (HDR) function, which captures multiple images at varying shutter speeds, generating an image with high color gradation. This function allows 4K images to be captured with unprecedented high resolution and high contrast.

To identify fibers, it is necessary to clearly capture high-magnification images of tissues having three-dimensional structures.
The VHX Series 4K digital microscope supports various lighting conditions with a single unit. For example, it is possible to clearly capture details such as differences in fiber glossiness and tissue structure by using coaxial lighting to receive specularly reflected light.
Additionally, with a large depth of field, the entirety of a three-dimensional tissue can be brought into focus even at high magnifications, which enables the capturing of 4K images suitable for identification.

Filters used for air cleaners and air conditioners have complex, three-dimensional fiber tissues. Conventional microscopes cannot capture filter fibers and pollens adhering to these fibers simultaneously due to an insufficient depth of field that allows only a part of the field of view to be brought into focus.
The VHX Series 4K digital microscope is equipped with the depth composition function, which composes an image by capturing multiple images having different focus positions. Images fully in focus throughout the field of view can be captured even at high magnifications. With this function, it is possible to capture images focused on both the filter fibers having depth and the pollens adhering to these fibers.
Fully focused clear images obtained via depth composition help in identifying adhering substances in a non-destructive, non-contact manner even under difficult conditions like in fiber tissues of fabrics such as clothing and bedding.

Depth composition image of pollens in a filter obtained using the VHX Series 4K digital microscope

Ring illumination (200x) Left: Depth composition/Right: Normal observation

Additionally, the VHX Series can automatically perform highly accurate automatic area measurement/counting in the area specified by the operator on the image, enabling quick quantitative analysis of adhering substances.

For handwriting identification, it is necessary to observe the details of marks left on paper fibers. However, as irregularities generated by writing pressure on the surface of paper are very small, it is difficult to scrutinize them using magnifying glasses or ordinary microscopes.
The VHX Series 4K digital microscope is equipped with Optical Shadow Effect Mode, which captures observation images having high color gradation that rival those captured with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). As such, observation and analysis of even fine textures, minute surface irregularities, and subtle scratches (all of which could not be observed with conventional microscopes) are possible.
This product can perform observation in normal atmosphere, without the vacuum required by SEMs or the corresponding preparation time, ensuring that evidence stays free of damage.
Images captured with Optical Shadow Effect Mode can also be displayed as a color map. Subtle three-dimensional differences on a paper surface can be visualized with different colors, which is useful for analysis, comparison, and identification of patterns of writing pressure changes.
The following images are examples of the normal observation image, the Optical Shadow Effect Mode image, and the Optical Shadow Effect Mode color map image of handwriting captured with the VHX Series.

Optical Shadow Effect Mode image and color map display of handwriting captured using the VHX Series 4K digital microscope