Polilight
Encyclopedia
The Polilight is a portable, high-intensity, filtered light source used by forensic scientists and others to detect fingerprint
s, bodily fluids and other evidence
from crime scene
s and other places.
Similar products to the Polilight include the Foster + Freeman Crime-lite
, Ultralite ALS and the Optimax Multilite, all of which use LEDs to produce high intensity light of varying wavelengths.
The device was developed from a research project to find an alternative to the laser
method of fingerprint detection used in the 1970s. In the 1980s, the project began at the Australian National University
. It was funded by the Australian Federal Police
. The university's commercial company, Anutech Pty Ltd, sold the concept to Rofin Australia Pty Ltd, who developed it into the Polilight.
Several Polilight models have been released, including the Polilight 6/150W, Polilight 10/300W and the Polilight500, sometimes abbreviated to PL6, PL10 and PL500. The PL500 ('500' refers to the power in watt
s of the xenon
arc lamp) has 11 monochromatic bands, a ‘blank’ position that provides high intensity white light in the range from 380 to 650 nm and an optional infra-red output suitable for document examination.
The Polilight was named by the Powerhouse Museum as one of the top 100 Australian innovations of the 20th century. Its worldwide use was acknowledged by the Australian Export Awards in 2005.
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s, bodily fluids and other evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
from crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
s and other places.
Similar products to the Polilight include the Foster + Freeman Crime-lite
Crime-lite
The Crime-lite is a handheld, high-intensity alternate light source used primarily by forensic investigators to detect evidence such as fingerprints, bodily fluids and latent evidence from crime scenes....
, Ultralite ALS and the Optimax Multilite, all of which use LEDs to produce high intensity light of varying wavelengths.
The device was developed from a research project to find an alternative to the laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
method of fingerprint detection used in the 1970s. In the 1980s, the project began at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
. It was funded by the Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
. The university's commercial company, Anutech Pty Ltd, sold the concept to Rofin Australia Pty Ltd, who developed it into the Polilight.
Several Polilight models have been released, including the Polilight 6/150W, Polilight 10/300W and the Polilight500, sometimes abbreviated to PL6, PL10 and PL500. The PL500 ('500' refers to the power in watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of the xenon
Xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. The element name is pronounced or . A colorless, heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts...
arc lamp) has 11 monochromatic bands, a ‘blank’ position that provides high intensity white light in the range from 380 to 650 nm and an optional infra-red output suitable for document examination.
The Polilight was named by the Powerhouse Museum as one of the top 100 Australian innovations of the 20th century. Its worldwide use was acknowledged by the Australian Export Awards in 2005.