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Forensic Sperm Detection

The identification of semen is often paramount in the investigation of alleged sexual assault cases [...]. The Metafer with Sperm Detection scanning software developed by MetaSystems processes slides subjected to Christmas Tree staining, captures and sorts images to identify potential sperm cells and records the slide coordinates of suspected sperm cells for re-location [...]. Slide scans are completed in an average time of 15 min, with the ability to scan up to 80 slides consecutively. [...] Microscopy utilising AI technology in the form of a deep neural network allows for an improvement of the efficiency of examination times pertaining to sexual assault slides through automated scanning and analysis, while improving the accuracy of slide examination. [...] Metafer [...] successfully identified sperm cells of varied morphology present in both high and low semen concentrations, often with a higher accuracy than manual microscopic examinations for very low levels of sperm [...]. [T][...]he use of the Metafer automated microscopy platform and DNN [...] can improve microscopy examination output in forensic casework with improved efficiency and accuracy compared to traditional manual microscopy techniques, however does not necessarily replace aspects of manual microscopy as human review of automated microscopy outcomes is warranted.

Cited From: Science and Justice (2026) Read more...
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