Researchers from MIT have created a handheld device called GelSight that provides ultra-high resolution 3D scans of microscopic surface structure.

The main section of the system is a small slab of transparent, synthetic rubber that’s coated on one side with a paint containing tiny flecks of metal. If you push the rubber against an object, the paint-coated side morphs to closely conform to the object’s texture.

In the video, we see a guy squidge his finger into the rubber, instantly amplifying the microscopic structure of his skin, and revealing a bold indentation of his fingerprint on the other side. If nothing else, this technology seems like it would be a formidable tool in forensic science.

Via Wired Science