Lie detection systems go high-tech

Liars face tough new opposition - 28th March 2022

A research team based at Israel's Tel Aviv University have come up with innovative advancements in the field of lie detection technology. Headed by Professors Yael Hanein and Dino Levy, their analysis has uncovered two principal sorts of liars. The first kind fails to control a miniscule movement of the eyebrow when telling falsehoods, while the second group experiences an unconscious twitching of the lips.

Able to distinguish around three quarters of fabrications, the team has high hopes for their software and algorithms, which they're currently refining. "When you try to conceal a lie, one of the things you try to avoid is any sort of body reaction," offered Hanein, before Levy broke in, "But it's very, very hard for you to conceal a lie with this technology."

Existing techniques centre on polygraph tests, which have been around for about a century. The best-known of these is the 'analogue polygraph', where several ink-filled needles jump up and down on a roll of paper as the subject is cross-examined. The person under suspicion has electrodes taped to their fingers, arms and body, which in turn are hooked up to the machine. The sensors reveal physiological variations such as elevated heart rate, respiratory rates, blood pressure and levels of perspiration.

Since such devices are generally considered to be flawed, state-of-the-art algorithmic systems have been an ongoing area of investigation for research teams and technology firms worldwide. The Tel Aviv team assumes that their current use of electrodes will ultimately be succeeded by an integrated system of cameras and software. This provides for easy detection of a liar from afar, potentially even via an internet link.

Levy envisages a future where "In the bank, in police interrogations, at the airport or online job interviews, high-resolution cameras trained to identify movements of facial muscles will be able to tell truthful statements from lies."