NEC develops portable DNA analysis device

"NEC Corp. has developed a portable compact device that will allow police to complete a DNA analysis in about 25 minutes, according to the company.

The device, jointly developed with press machine manufacturer Aida Engineering Ltd., based in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, is the first portable device of its kind, the company said. It will go into use with police forces in fiscal 2008 at the earliest.

The compact device, which measures 50 centimeters by 20 centimeters by 40 centimeters, will help police speed up the early stages of investigations, the firm said.

Currently, it takes between one day and a week to complete a DNA analysis, as police have to take skin and other samples taken from a crime scene to a forensics lab where a number of pieces of equipment are necessary to conduct an analysis."

From the Yomiuri Shimbun.