When CSI was looking for a solution to measure impact force for their season finale, they turned to Tekscan. The challenge? To find out how much pressure it would take to liquidize a liver. The solution? The I-Scan™ pressure measurement system. Dynamic force and pressure distribution events appear in real-time displays and the data is captured as a recording on your PC. Tekscan provided sensors, hardware, and software information for use during filming. The  I-Scan system and software features:

• Vivid graphics on a PC that can accurately depict a pressure event and make the information easy to interpret
• Extremely thin, flexible sensors which provide highly accurate pressure readings
• Accelerated processing to capture dynamic force, pressure, and contact area data

In the finale episode, the CSI’s investigate a murder scene just a few blocks away. When trying to determine time of death for one of the victims, Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. David Phillips (played by David Berman) cannot get an accurate liver temperature reading. Back at the lab, they discover that the liver has been liquidized - but how?

Cue Tekscan. CSI Julie Finlay (played by Elisabeth Shue) places a Tekscan sensor on a manikin to see how much pressure is needed to liquidize a liver. After a few swings with a hockey stick, she reaches the necessary pressure range it would take to cause the liver to be liquid.

See how the Tekscan pressure sensors were used to help CSI Finlay and Dr. Phillips discover the pressure range necessary to pulverize a liver. 

In a real world application, Tekscan’s I-Scan could be used to measure the high impact forces produced from a hit by a hockey stick. The Tekscan I-Scan has been used in a variety of other impact applications including automotive crash-testing, sport equipment testing, vibration studies and martial arts.