SMMART Multimodal High Content Screening Microscopy System
Spectricon’ s SMMART technology has been ranked first in a pan-European pre-commercial procurement (PCP), which was coordinated and jointly carried out between forensic institutes across Europe (the Shuttle Project) and has passed successfully the site acceptance tests.
SMMART HTS is the world’s first high content screening microscope system, dedicated to automating trace triage, identification and enumeration of evidential traces, collected from crime scenes.
It acquires hyperspectral, fluorescence and polarimetry imaging data, which are processed by an integrated machine learning platform. The system outputs trace identification maps and enumeration tables for a plurality of millimeter scale fields. It can accommodate a vast population of traces in fully automated, ultrafast and unsupervised manner.
SMMART HTS
Technology
SMMART is a patented Spectral Multimodal Microscope for the Automated Recognition of Traces (SMMART) high throughput screening microscope system. It is a perfect blend of digital imaging, spectroscopy, robotics, machine learning, data structuring and analytics.
It offers automated (unsupervised) identification, enumeration and documentation of an enormous number of lifted traces. It can undertake the routine work of forensics labs, which is a subjective, fatigue prone, time consuming and labor-intensive process.
The SMMART system speeds up the trace examination/analysis processes by a factor of 178.6, while at the same time ensuring objectivity and standardization.
SMMART innovation makes large-scale trace analysis realistic, transferring routine work to machines and improving workflow
Recent publication:
“A Novel, Multimodal, High Throughput Screening Microscope Platform for Automating the Analysis a of Vast Populations of Forensics Traces“, Costas Balas et al. (.pdf)
SMMART HTS
The SMMART HTS system comprise
An advanced robotic microscope capable of accommodating of a total area of microscope slides or adhesive trace lifts of 640X420 cm, in a single, unsupervised scanning session.
SMMART HTS acquires a multidimensional, 8 megapixel imaging dataset, comprising:
– Bright field multimodal transmission/reflection microscopy, including color, hyperspectral imaging and pixel level micro-spectroscopy, spanning a very broad spectral range (340nm-1000nm);
– Multiwavelength fluorescence imaging-excitation with 3 LED/Laser lines (365, 405, 450 nm)
– Real time spectral polarimetry imaging and retardance/birefringence mapping
An imaging data viewer and analysis suite, integrating a set of ultrafast machine learning-based analysis algorithms, capable of displaying trace identification maps, even concurrently with image acquisition.
Trace identification is based on the combined analysis of a long list of the acquired optical and morphological parameters, including: absorption spectra, reflectance, multi-wavelength excitation fluorescence and retardance/birefringence data, all together forming a very informative, multidimensional feature space.
The SMMART data viewer software module allows for side-by-side review of all imaging modes, namely hyperspectral imaging, reflection, multiwavelength excitation fluorescence and polarization imaging. It also offers zooming tools to compare multimodal imaging patterns at high magnifications, while maintaining excellent imaging quality.
An automated process for localizing/marking identified traces of high evidential value for sampling and subsequent analyses. Trace marking for subsequent dissection is image and laser pointer guided The SMMART data viewer and analysis software modules can be operated from remote locations, by retrieving data from a specially developed database. Data stored in the database are encrypted and users may have escalated authority to access the content of the database.
SMMART HTS
SMMART indicative installations and partnerships
SMMART HTS
Value proposition
The SMMART system is a fully automated hyperspectral and multimodal microscope, with an integrated machine learning-based trace identifier. The system outputs identification maps for millions of traces, within very short time frames and in a fully unsupervised manner.
It is a patented innovation currently standing ready to complement the analytical capital equipment of both modern routine and research forensic labs. It can:
- identify and enumerate millions of traces in a fully unsupervised manner;
- triage low from high probative value traces, such as for example to locate traces containing DNA;
- navigate the localization and the secondary sampling of traces eligible for subsequent analyses by experts, and
document, digitize, standardize, disseminate and objectify traces analysis
The SMMART forensics toolkit is a turnkey solution that does the routine work for you. It has successfully passed the site acceptance tests in leading European forensics National labs. It is also a research tool for developing new methods for advancing the evidential value of traces analysis. It is powerful, one-stop and open to customization solution, with great potential to make your practice to stand out.
SMMART HTS
Specifications
- Modes of operation:
- Hyperspectral Imaging: scanning range 340-1100nm, 20 nm tunning step
- Multi-wavelength excitation fluorescence imaging
- Stokes Polarimetry imaging
- Retardance and Birefringence imaging
- Sensors’ spatial resolution : 8 megapixels / per image
Illumination modes:
Transmission
Reflection
Fluorescence: three sources 365nm, 405nm, 450nm
Polarized
Acquisition data volume and speed:
40 images (Multimodal image set)
Acquisition time for the 40 images per objective’s: 5s
Objective:
2X, 5X, 15X (additional options possible)
Field of view (FOV): 5mm2 (5X objective), magnification 265X
Autofocus electromechanics
Spectroscopy:
Number of spectra per spectral cube: 8 million
Spectra display/comparison on mouse hovering
- Polarimetry:
- Four polarization angles in three wavelengths
- Degree of linear polarization (DoLP) imaging
- Retardation/Birefringence imaging calibrated with variable retarder
- Measured retardation range: 0-2500nm
- Sample stage size: the platform can accommodate in a single scan sample occupying a total 640X420 cm stage surface.
- Sample scanning modes:
- Fully automatic/robotic/unsupervised multimodal scanning
- Manual via joystick
- Scanning speed: 5h for 3600 FOVs, 40 images/frameNumber of spectra per spectral cube: 8 million.
- Software:
- Acquisition control
- Autocalibration
- Supervised and unsupervised classifiers
- Morphometry-based classifiers
- Machine learning/AI-based trace identification mapping and enumeration tables
- User configurable system’s training
- Database