Drone Forensic Evidence Collection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Forensic investigations in remote or inaccessible areas are often delayed due to the difficulty in reaching such locations and the lack of necessary equipment or resources, which can hinder the timely collection and preservation of evidence.
Innovation Solution
The use of drones equipped with audio/visual equipment and an evidence collection kit, allowing for remote collection of witness testimony and physical evidence, along with a method to dispatch drones to sites, log timestamped locations, and correlate site data with these locations for evidence management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If forensic investigators travel to remote or inaccessible areas to collect evidence, then they can conduct investigations, but the difficulty and time required to reach such locations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a drone as an intermediary device that can access remote or inaccessible areas where human investigators cannot easily reach. The drone is equipped with audio/visual equipment and evidence collection tools, allowing it to serve as a mediator between the investigators and the remote crime scene, thereby resolving the contradiction between accessibility and investigation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human investigators physically traveling to remote locations with an automated aerial vehicle (drone) system. This substitution eliminates the need for investigators to physically access difficult terrain while maintaining evidence collection capabilities through onboard sensors and equipment
2Loss of time
If forensic investigators are deployed to remote areas quickly, then evidence can be collected timely, but the complexity of coordinating equipment and personnel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (audio recording, visual recording, evidence collection, location tracking) into a single integrated drone system. This merging of functions eliminates the need to coordinate separate equipment and personnel for each task, thereby reducing complexity while enabling timely evidence collection in remote areas
Solution Approach 2:
The drone is designed as a universal platform that can perform multiple forensic investigation functions simultaneously - capturing audio, capturing video, collecting physical evidence, and tracking location. This multi-functionality allows a single device to replace multiple specialized tools and personnel, reducing coordination complexity while maintaining comprehensive evidence collection capabilities
3Adaptability or versatility
If drones are equipped with comprehensive audio/visual equipment and evidence collection kits, then the capability to conduct full forensic investigations improves, but the weight and complexity of the drone increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the evidence collection system into modular components that can be attached to or removed from the drone as needed. The audio/visual equipment and evidence collection tools are designed as separate modules, allowing the drone to carry only the necessary equipment for each specific investigation, thereby reducing weight while maintaining full forensic capability when needed
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes dispatching a drone to a site. The drone includes audio/visual equipment. The method includes logging a plurality of timestamped locations of the drone and receiving, from the audio/visual equipment, site data captured by an on-site operator of the audio/visual equipment. The method includes correlating a portion of the site data with at least one of the timestamped locations of the drone.