(last update of this page: November 2025)

The project is about automatic analysis of indoor crime scenes. We will study AI technologies for environment mapping, segmentation and classification of objects and traces found at such scenarios worthy of immediate investigation, eg to avoid contamination of the scene or warn for hazardous situations. 

Project period: October 2022–October 2025

Financier: Vinnova

Participants:

• Fernando Alonso-Fernandez (PI), Senior Lecturer

• Josef Bigun, Professor 

• Martin Cooney, Senior Lecturer 

• Sivadinesh Ponrajan, Research Engineer 

• Kevin Hernandez Diaz, PhD student 

Expected Results and Effects

Crime scene investigation is normally done by forensics experts upon arrival. The present project will automatize these tasks, allowing the team to directly concentrate on the analysis of important cues, thus saving precious time during the first moments after a crime. Outputs will also remain as an uncontaminated model of the scene, allowing post-analysis, if necessary, during any step of the investigation. 

Approach and Implementation

To achieve our aims, we will explore vision technologies like visible, IR, thermal, and non-vision depth sensors like LIDAR. To ensure that the scene is contaminated to the least possible extent, we will investigate the use of nanodrones. This is a challenge, since existing drones equipped with those sensors are usually big and unsuitable, for example, for small flats. To counteract potential difficulties in such innovative task, we will also investigate the use of smartphones or bodycams worn by first-responders. 

To achieve our aims, we will explore vision technologies like visible, IR, thermal, and non-vision depth sensors like LIDAR. To ensure that the scene is contaminated to the least possible extent, we will investigate the use of nanodrones. This is a challenge, since existing drones equipped with those sensors are usually big and unsuitable, for example, for small flats. To counteract potential difficulties in such innovative task, we will also investigate the use of smartphones or bodycams worn by first-responders. 

Research Publications (more under preparation)

• M. Cooney, S. Ponrajan, F. Alonso-Fernandez, “Nano Drone-based Indoor Crime Scene Analysis”, Proc. 21st IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Its Social Impacts, ARSO, Osaka, Japan, 17-19 July 2025, https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.21019, https://doi.org/10.1109/ARSO64737.2025.11124976  

• M. Cooney, F. Alonso-Fernandez, “Blimp-based Crime Scene Analysis”, Proc. Swedish AI Society workshop, SAIS, Halmstad, Sweden, 16-17 June 2025 https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.15962   

• M. Cooney, L. Klasén, F. Alonso-Fernandez, “Designing Robots to Help Women”, Proc. 14th Scandinavian Conference on AI, SCAI, 10-11th June, Jönköping, Sweden, 2024, accepted http://arxiv.org/abs/2404.04123, https://doi.org/10.3384/ecp208019 

Some Results