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"  As if those CSI guys weren&amp;#039;t already good enough, they&amp;#039;re now getting help from another cutting-edge profession\u2014engineers at NASA. Developed to better diagnose damages to the space shuttle, the Laser Scaling and Measurement Device for Photographic Imaging (LSMDPI), is a high-tech addition to the typically low-tech tools of the crime scene investigating trade.  The LSMDPI is a half-pound box that attaches directly to a camera&amp;#039;s tripod. It shoots two lasers from its front, producing a pattern of dots that allows objects in the photograph to be precisely scaled and measured. When applied to the shuttle, engineers can measure dents without taking a ruler to the hull. For crime scene investigators, the uses for the device seem nearly unlimited. Photographs of a crime scene may be revisited following its clean-up, with the retained ability to make accurate measurements of evidence such as blood splatters. The software that runs LSMDPI also allows full views from several angles.  The FBI has asked NASA to add new features to the LSMDPI, including software that allows zooming in and out of images. The ability to revisit splatters and analyze their patterns with sophisticated software is only the next step in making the best forensics people in the world even better. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a503/2382656/>