When someone gets hurt or commits a crime, figuring out what drugs they took can be crucial. Usually, experts look for drugs in blood or other body fluids. But what if those aren't available? That's where things get tricky. Sometimes, the only clues left are on clothes, bedding, or other items. These items can have biological materials like vomit or stains that migh...

Cannabis detection is a vital task for law enforcement and forensic labs. These groups are tasked with identifying cannabis and its look-alikes. They have to deal with a lot of plant material every year. Accurate identification is crucial for legal cases and fighting drug crimes. The problem is that the human eye can't always tell the difference between real cannabis...

Nail polish is a common clue in crime investigations. It can connect suspects or victims to a crime scene. However, telling different brands and types apart is tricky. Traditional methods aren't always reliable. This is where spectroscopy and AI come in. Spectroscopy is a tool that helps identify what something is made of. There are two types used here: ATR-IR and R...

Explosive identification is a crucial part of crime scene investigation. It often requires specialized teams to ensure safety. Handheld Raman spectrometers are popular tools for this job. They are portable, don't damage samples, and can detect various compounds with little preparation. However, they struggle with dark-colored explosives like black powder and flash po...

Imagine you're at a crime scene. You need quick and accurate results to solve the case. Portable sensors help, but they have their limits. Environmental factors can mess with their sensitivity and specificity. This is where data fusion (DF) comes in. DF combines information from multiple sensors to boost accuracy and reliability. Two sensors were used in thi...