Technological innovation in the recovery and analysis of 3D forensic footwear evidence: Structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry

Larsen, Hannah J; Budka, Marcin; Bennett, Matthew R.

doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2021.04.003

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…Furthermore, 3D reconstructions of the shape of individual muscles and the configuration of the musculature are enabled for extant taxa when only surface models and dissection data are available, thus facilitating further downstream analyses. Capturing surface data during a dissection, either through photogrammetry or other surface digitization techniques 1 , 83 – 87 , and reconstructing the musculature using our approach could streamline the pipeline for comparative morphological analyses 8 , 22 , 27 , 70 , 72 , 88 as well as biomechanical models and simulations. Our method enables the subject-specific quantification of muscle attachment area as well as muscle shape and path estimations, information usually lost during dissection, which, however, is crucial for musculoskeletal modelling 29 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Iterative polygonal modelling is not limited to cross-sectional information, this method can be used in conjunction with muscle surface scan data that can (1) streamline processes in which the user can also collect dissection data at the same time as muscular configurations, and (2) further minimise costs and time commitment for the user because expensive CT-scan data after lengthy staining processes do not need to be collected 1 . However, it is not required to use surface scan-technology that can be expensive and prohibitive itself 85 , 87 ; photogrammetry is an alternative possibility 84 , 86 , in which the user can further minimise total costs by even using a personal smartphone rather than an expensive camera or laser scanning 87 to capture a series of photographs and then subsequently use freeware to build 3D models of each muscle layer (e.g. 1 , 83 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Three-dimensional polygonal muscle modelling and line of action estimation in living and extinct taxa

Demuth

Wiseman

Beesel

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Biomechanical models and simulations of musculoskeletal function rely on accurate muscle parameters, such as muscle masses and lines of action, to estimate force production potential and moment arms. These parameters are often obtained through destructive techniques (i.e., dissection) in living taxa, frequently hindering the measurement of other relevant parameters from a single individual, thus making it necessary to combine multiple specimens and/or sources. Estimating these parameters in extinct taxa is even more challenging as soft tissues are rarely preserved in fossil taxa and the skeletal remains contain relatively little information about the size or exact path of a muscle. Here we describe a new protocol that facilitates the estimation of missing muscle parameters (i.e., muscle volume and path) for extant and extinct taxa. We created three-dimensional volumetric reconstructions for the hindlimb muscles of the extant Nile crocodile and extinct stem-archosaur Euparkeria, and the shoulder muscles of an extant gorilla to demonstrate the broad applicability of this methodology across living and extinct animal clades. Additionally, our method can be combined with surface geometry data digitally captured during dissection, thus facilitating downstream analyses. We evaluated the estimated muscle masses against physical measurements to test their accuracy in estimating missing parameters. Our estimated muscle masses generally compare favourably with segmented iodine-stained muscles and almost all fall within or close to the range of observed muscle masses, thus indicating that our estimates are reliable and the resulting lines of action calculated sufficiently accurately. This method has potential for diverse applications in evolutionary morphology and biomechanics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-dimensional polygonal muscle modelling and line of action estimation in living and extinct taxa

Demuth

Wiseman

Beesel

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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“…Forensic applications : We recommend that further research is required to refine stature estimation precision for forensic cases from which an individual may be prosecuted due to the likelihood of footprint outline significantly being altered dependent on condition of speed and substrate (Krishan et al, 2015). There are clear recommendations and rigorous protocols which must be followed with respect to the application of forensic methods, including inferences made from footprints recovered from crime scenes (Larsen et al, 2021; Tuttle, 1986). First and foremost, the methodology must be well established, the sources of error must be identified with a clear and concise error margin proclaimed, and finally, the method must be rigorously tested, retested and retestable by all in the future.…”

Section: Discussion: the Way Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

One size fits all? Stature estimation from footprints and the effect of substrate and speed on footprint creation

Wiseman

Groote

2021

The Anatomical Record

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Estimation of stature from footprint lengths is a common prediction in forensic cases and in paleoanthropology upon the discovery of fossil footprints. Many studies, which have estimated stature from footprints, generally use a "onesize-fits-all" approach that usually involves applying a known ratio of foot length to total stature to do so, although this method has fallen out of practice in forensic cases in recent years but is still commonly used for fossil trace evidence. Yet, we know that substrate and speed can change the dimensions of a footprint, so why are these "one-size-fits-all" approaches still used today? We tested footprint production across different substrates at a walk, a fast walk, and a jog. We calculated how accurately footprint dimensions were impressed between these different conditions and identified sources of error in footprint lengths, and the percentage changes of how significantly a footprint can change in length between different conditions. We provide a table with different ratios that we encourage practitioners/field scientists to refer to and use when estimating stature from footprints, with respect to the substrate on which the footprint was created and the speed at which it was created. We actively encourage researchers to add the ratios by testing more substrates so that in the future stature can be more accurately estimated, thus aiding the paleoanthropological community, but also forensic investigations by statistically highlighting how different conditions can affect trace dimensions.

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“…These recording methodologies have been featured in studies involving the recording of crime scenes for forensic purposes (Luchowski et al 2021;Galanakis et al 2021). A relatively small body of literature is concerned with indoor scene reconstruction (Galanakis et al 2021;Sansoni et al 2011;Larsen et al 2021). For example, Roosje de Leeuwe (de Leeuwe 2017) reported that traditional crime scene documentation methods did not always provide enough contextual information relating to the positioning of evidentially valuable traces.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of fire scene reconstructions using virtual reality to enhance forensic decision-making. A case study in Scotland.

Rinaldi,

Robertson,

Strong

et al. 2024

Virtual Reality

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When attending a crime scene, first responders are responsible for identifying areas of potential interest for subsequent forensic examination. This information is shared with the police, forensic practitioners, and legal authorities during an initial meeting of all interested parties, which in Scotland is known as a forensic strategy meeting. Swift documentation is fundamental to allow practitioners to learn about the scene(s) and to plan investigative strategies, traditionally relying on word-of-mouth briefings using digital photographs, videos, diagrams, and verbal reports. We suggest that these early and critical briefings can be augmented positively by implementing an end-to-end methodology for indoor 3D reconstruction and successive visualisation through immersive Virtual Reality (VR). The main objective of this paper is to provide an integrative documentation tool to enhance the decision-making processes in the early stages of the investigation. Taking a fire scene as an example, we illustrate a framework for rapid spatial data acquisition of the scene that leverages structure-from-motion photogrammetry. We developed a VR framework that enables the exploration of virtual environments on a standalone, low-cost immersive head-mounted display. The system was tested in a two-phased inter-agency fire investigation exercise, where practitioners were asked to produce hypotheses suitable for forensic strategy meetings by (1) examining traditional documentation and then (2) using a VR walkthrough of the same premises. The integration of VR increased the practitioners’ scene comprehension, improved hypotheses formulation with fewer caveats, and enabled participants to sketch the scene, in contrast to the orientation challenges encountered using conventional documentation.

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Technological innovation in the recovery and analysis of 3D forensic footwear evidence: Structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry

Cited by 10 publications

References 39 publications

Three-dimensional polygonal muscle modelling and line of action estimation in living and extinct taxa

Three-dimensional polygonal muscle modelling and line of action estimation in living and extinct taxa

One size fits all? Stature estimation from footprints and the effect of substrate and speed on footprint creation

Examination of fire scene reconstructions using virtual reality to enhance forensic decision-making. A case study in Scotland.

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