It won’t do much to help Bruno Hauptmann, but a new piece of handwiting-analysis software may change the future of forensics.
Hauptmann was famously convicted — and executed — on charges that he kidnapped Charles Lindbergh’s baby son — who was later found dead — in 1932. At his trial, FBI analysts testified that the text in ransom notes delivered to the Lindbergh family matched Hauptmann’s own handwriting.
But doubts about that analysis have lingered. And now Gannon Technologies Group, a company in Virginia, is planning to conduct a computerized study of the notes.
The company’s software — which draws on research conducted at George Mason University — aims to turn handwriting analysis from a subjective art into a simple matter of statistics. The program takes hundreds of measurements of each written letter. Its creators say it’s so accurate that it can’t be fooled even by people consciously altering their writing styles. (Wired News)
Developing online and blended learning programs requires research and collaboration. Learn how top technology companies are partnering with campuses across the country to advance online learning as it becomes an increasingly important aspect of higher education.