3D Video Game Collaboration Used To Solve Crimes

eldavojohn writes "Reuters explains how the National Science Foundation's Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) program is funding research used to implement real life crimes in a CSI-like game. They will use IC-CRIME's laser scanner technology and the Unity platform (which recently enjoyed the release of a freeware version) to recreate the crime scene as closely as possible. The crime scene will then be hosted for multiple remote crime scene investigators to explore concurrently while discussing what they see, sharing their data and experience as well as learning and asking questions."

Similar Experience

[Anonymous Coward]

I use to work for a programming shop that use to (among other things) make 3D rendering and design tools used for criminal court cases. The prosecutors found it was becoming more and more difficult to get juries to convict people when evidence was displayed in a traditional manner since juries seem to now have higher expectations in how evidence is displayed due to shows like CSI and the like. This was around 2006-2007 so it doesn't surprise me that stuff like this is in development in 2009 though frankly I would have thought this would have occured sooner then that.

perfect tool to plan the perfect crime ...

[tomhudson]

After all, now you can simulate it and see how real people react to the evidence. Figure out what clues to plant to misdirect, hide, obfuscate, or even frame someone else ... yep, fun for the whole family - if your family name is Cosa Nostra ...

Re:

[ultranova]

Nowadays, with an increasing number of ordinary people being labeled as criminals to protect the profits of the rich, and the constant hum of identity theft, it could be argued that such skills are becoming essential to anyone.

Re:

[nomadic]

The prosecutors found it was becoming more and more difficult to get juries to convict people when evidence was displayed in a traditional manner since juries seem to now have higher expectations in how evidence is displayed due to shows like CSI and the like.

Yeah, sucks how juries won't convict anymore just because the prosecutor asks them too...

Re:Similar Experience

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm more concerned about juries convicting just because the prosecutors show up with an animation of the alleged crime.

Re:

[Ethanol-fueled]

I feel sorry for the guy who has to animate the rape. Would he be laughing or crying?

Re:

[KneelBeforeZod]

Depends.

Crying if its an animated photo-realistic depiction of raping, punching, and urinating.
Laughing if its an animated stick figure of raping, punching, and urinating.

Stick figures are very abstract, so its hard to empathize.

Re:

[ultranova]

I feel sorry for the guy who has to animate the rape. Would he be laughing or crying?

Neither. It's a job, and you get used to it, just like coroners get used to theirs. However, running into the animation on a porn site might elicit a few cringes.

Re:

[Psaakyrn]

Yes.

heh...

[NotQuiteReal]

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. You have the right to simulate a story that is favorable to your defense. If you can't afford custom simulations, public domain simulations will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?

Re:

[MrRTFM]

Yeh, it makes it nice and easy for the jury to see the glittering murder weapon with a question mark over it.

Best of all they get XP and rep when they complete the quest!

Re:

[Narpak]

What I want to know is what type of Achievements this program will feature.

RE:

[sifRAWR]

"...while discussing what they see, sharing their data and experience as well as learning and asking questions." Murder, what could possibly bring people closer together?

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Incest?

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

just as long a they rely on experts to discuss what they see. if they take everyone at large, well someone has to sort though all the crap the infinite number of monkeys write to determine if it is worth reading let alone Shakespeare because well frankly most of it is crap written by crap flinging monkeys. it will likely waste more time than it saves, it is a fundamental problem with crowd intelligence.

Re:

[Nathrael]

And don't forget about the gardener!

Is it really there?

[headkase]

Bob, did you see that? Bob: Nope, it was never there. This is useful for interpretation but it is not a molecular scan of a crime-scene.

DeltaSphere scanner from 3rdTech

[helser]

"IC-CRIME's laser scanner" is actually supplied by the company I work for, and it's called the DeltaSphere 3000 [deltasphere.com] We've sold dozens to police departments, CSI units, and such in several countries. More pictures at the website, of course.

Re:

[fotbr]

Just curious, but not wanting to waste your company's time with an info request -- what does a system like that cost?

Re:

[helser]

Start thinking about a complete professional camera setup, and you're in the ballpark. We're one of the least expensive, because our scanner does room-sized spaces (range is 30-40 feet). You can spend a whole lot more, and get scanners that have ranges up to half-a-mile.

One man's interpetation:

[Tibia1]

So what did you think about the crime scene?
"Well John, it looks like those fingerprints were planted there, definitely not mine, and uh, yeah.. that guy did it..."

Awful idea

[l00sr]

Reuters explains how the National Science Foundation's Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) program is funding research used to implement real life crimes in a CSI-like game.

So, by shooting someone in the game, they'll end up actually shooting someone in real life? That sounds like an awful idea.

Re:

[qpawn]

No, by shooting someone in real life you get to be in a video game!

Government must have a Department Of Acronyms

[garompeta]

"a platform they call IC-CRIME (interdisciplinary, cyber-enabled crime reconstruction through innovative methodology and engagement)"
Seriously? c'mon....

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

So a platform called "IC-CRIME" appears to be using a scanner called the "DeltaSphere 3000" and "I.C. Wiener" appears on a note in the Futurama episode called "Space Pilot 3000".

Coincidence? I think not.

Hm... 3D rendering of a crime scene....

[s0litaire]

Hm... didn't they do something like that on "Sanctuary" a couple of weeks ago!...

Oh sorry, that was a 3d Holographic projection of a crime scene not a 3D model on a screen...

Ah well we can all dream....

Wow

[Yvan256]

They take their retro-gaming [wikipedia.org] seriously.

Re:

[abarrieris5eV]

you think that's bad I remember seeing the ads for this cd-i title on tv: voyeur [youtube.com]

Details

[zaffir]

How likely is it that the key to solving a particular crime is hidden in small subtle details that, upon first glance, nobody notices in real life. These things certainly aren't going to transfer to a digital world that has to be recreated by 3D artists.

Re:

[Dekker3D]

there's no artists involved.. just a laser scanner, photo's and the software to stitch it all together into a 3D model of the scene. that doesn't make it any better, but at least there's a chance the subtleties will appear. and the chance that someone notices is just added to anything the police would normally do.

Re:

[ultranova]

How likely is it that the key to solving a particular crime is hidden in small subtle details that, upon first glance, nobody notices in real life.

Probably not very likely, since real life is not a detective novel.

Crowdsourcing

[robi5]

Why limit the number of investigators to a few? Just to exclude the one who committed the crime? Then mix it in some massively multiplayer game without telling gamers they solve real crimes ... or do some existing MMO games already do this?