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VISIT US @ WWW.FARO.COM

n roll! So how and why is FARO involved.

Well, for the very reason that Sir Hugh

loved a fast life, he suffered a very slow

and agonising death he was hanged,

drawn and quartered!

All that is left of his mortal remains are

his bones. But they tell a fascinating story

and provide useful information to archae-

ologists, anthropologists and forensic sci-

entists alike. Unfortunately as most human

skeletal remains, they are very fragile and

are literally turning to dust. As this happens,

this useful research tool is lost to the aca-

Lee Cook scanning a vertebra from the skeleton

Sex, drugs & rock n rollkept alive by ScanArmTHEDepartment of Forensic Science

and Crime Science at Staffordshire

Universitys Faculty of Science used

the FARO Laser ScanArm to scan the

bones of Hugh de Spencer, a Medi-

eval bon vivant.

If anyone remembers history lessons in

school as being boring, then they never

heard of Sir Hugh de Spencer the young-

er. In his day, he lived a lifestyle that today

would be classed as sex, drugs and rock

demic community. Also, the vary fact that

they are fragile means that they cannot

travel around the UK to be used by scien-

tists as they will be damaged even more

quickly; that is where FARO comes in. By

scanning the bones, the digital informa-

tion can be used by anyone with an ap-

propriate interest in research or teaching

and they can even reverse engineer the

bones should they need to do so. This way,

the bones are more readily available to a

wider audience and in theory the data will

last for decades or longer. As this pilot>>

"The ScanArm did exactly what we want-

ed - quickly, efciently and to high qual-

ity...and that's making no bones about it!"JOHN P. CASSELLA

STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITYuser story 05/2010

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U S E R S T O R Y H U G H D E S P E N C E R

VISIT US @ WWW.FARO.COM

ABOUT STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY

Voted top by students - Fo-

rensic and Crime Science at

Staffordshire University was

rated the UKs top Forensic

Science Department in the

National Student Survey

2006 which asks all final year

undergraduate students in

the country what they think

of their course and univer-

sity.

Studies at the Forensic and

Crime Science department

includes learning from pro-

project spreads and other

skeleton are recorded, the dig-

itised virtual catalogue that will

result will allow the skeletal ma-

terial to be examined by a wid-

er audience, whilst preventing

the unavoidable damage thatoccurs when handling such fri-

able material and should en-

sure the skeletons live-on for

many years after their physical

manifestation ends.

This scanning digitisation

project will build upon a suc-

cessful earlier project resulting

in a resource bank of photo-

graphic images of the Hugh

De Spencer Skeletal remains.

Through the use of laser

digitisation of the skele-

tal material there will becomplimentary information

about the minutiae of the de-

tails associated with the gen-

eral skeletal markers as well as

the unique forensic pathologi-

cal markers considered to be a

result of the hanging, drawing

and quartering he suffered. This

skeletons history is particularly

well known and documented

(A Traitors Death the identity

of a drawn, hanged and quar-

tered man from Hulton Abbey

Staffordshire, Mary Lewis, An-tiquity 2008 82:11-124) and this

level of detail makes him al-

most unique in the country.

The digital and photographic

skeletal material may be used

by different educationalists

to disseminate ndings about

the people that were buried

at Hulton Abbey in Stoke-on-

Trent; it will tell us ore about

how they lived and how they

died.

ABOUT FARO

FARO develops and markets

computer-aided measuring

equipment and software for

creating digital 3D models.

The equipment enables highly

precise 3D measurements, 3D

comparisons of small and large

parts and components directly

in production, factory planning,

and as-built documentation -

like specialised applications in

mechanical engineering.

WWW.FARO.COM @

>>

1Mobility: Large and heavy

components must no

longer be transported to the

measuring machine. Quality

control can be completed

on-site with the measuring

arm. A patented temperature

compensator assures reliable

measurement results.

2Flexibility: Thanks to the use

of multiple rotary axles,

the measuring probe can be

positioned at the point to bemeasured, even if it is difcult

to reach.

3Counterbalance: The in-

ternal weight counterbal-

ance in the FaroArm enables

measurements to be com-

pleted beneath its clamping

frame and allows unencum-

bered wo rk .

4Universal mounting: The

measuring arm can be

mounted and operated very

easily, regardless of the surface

being worked on.

4 GOOD REASONS

The measuring arm can be

mounted and operated very

easily, regardless of the surface

being worked on.

@ WWW.FARO.COM/ARM

REVERSE ENGINEERING

ABOUT HUGH DE SPENCER

On the 16th November 1326,

Despenser was publicly humili-

ated by being stripped and

dressed in reversed arms, with

a crown of nettles placed on

his head. He was then roped

to four horses, rather than

the usual two, and dragged

through Hereford, where

he was hanged, or rather

choked, on gallows at 50 feet

with his body supported by a

ladder. Medieval chronicler

Jean Froissart reported that

Hugh was castrated, with

Cervical vertebra neck bone showing a clean sharp chop possibly

as part of the decapitation

Scan showing the above cervical vertebra neck bone with the clean

sharp chop mark

his testicles thrown into the

re below, because he was

considered a heretic and sus-

pected of 'unnatural' practic-

es with the King. Still conscious,

Despenser was dragged

from the gallows, a knife was

plunged into his abdomen

and his entrails and heart

were cut out and burned. The

corpse was lowered to the

ground and decapitated.

(Text taken from - Lewis, Antiq-

uity 2008 82:11-124).

fessional forensic scientists

and committed academic

staff; viewing forensics

research pages, linking with

external forensic com-

panies, practitioners and

organisations, viewing the

forensic science team build-

ing course video, studying

at modern, state-of-the-art

facilities and laboratories.

WWW.STAFFS.AC.UK@