A mobile robotic approach to autonomous surface scanning in legal medicine
By
Sarah Grube
Sarah Latus
Martin Fischer
Vidas Raudonis
Axel Heinemann
Benjamin Ondruschka
Alexander Schlaefer
September 12, 2025
Clinical Scorecard: An Autonomous Robotic Method for Surface Scanning in Forensic Medicine
At a Glance
Category Detail
Condition Comprehensive external surface documentation of corpses for medico-legal investigations Key Mechanisms Mobile robotic arm with RGB-D camera autonomously scans body surface by recognizing body pose, selecting optimal scanning positions, and performing scans Target Population Deceased individuals requiring forensic surface documentation Care Setting Forensic medicine and legal medicine facilities, including pre-autopsy and complementing PMCT scanning
Key Highlights
Integration of autonomous mobile robotic system enhances surface scanning flexibility and mobility compared to fixed setups System uses configuration space analysis and A* path planning to optimize scanning coverage and minimize robot base positions Autonomous scanning reduces workload, increases time-efficiency, and minimizes infection risk during corpse documentation Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Use autonomous surface scanning to complement internal imaging modalities like PMCT and PMMRI for comprehensive forensic documentation Management
Employ mobile robotic arm with RGB-D camera for autonomous surface scanning to capture color and depth information of external body surfaces Perform initial explorative scan to assess environmental constraints and body orientation before path planning Monitoring & Follow-up
Validate scanning coverage and surface resolution post-scan through visualization and post-processing of 3D surface data Risks
Consider spatial constraints and obstacles in the environment to avoid scanning errors or incomplete surface documentation Ensure proper calibration and setup of robotic system to maintain accuracy and repeatability Patient & Prescribing Data
Deceased individuals undergoing forensic examination
Autonomous robotic scanning provides detailed external surface documentation, enhancing medico-legal records while reducing manual labor and infection risk
Clinical Best Practices
Combine autonomous surface scanning with internal imaging modalities for comprehensive forensic analysis Conduct configuration space analysis tailored to body geometry and environmental constraints prior to scanning Use mobile robotic base to increase adaptability across different forensic settings Apply iterative scanning with optimized robot base positioning to maximize surface coverage efficiently References
