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Lie detection systems go high-tech - 28th March 2022

A team of researchers at Israel's Tel Aviv University has invented a new way to spot when people are lying. The team, which is led by Professors Yael Hanein and Dino Levy, uses advanced technology.

They've discovered there are two kinds of liar. The first type cannot help moving their eyebrows when they lie. The second kind makes a very slight movement of the lips.

The researchers can identify nearly three quarters of lies with this software, which uses specially trained algorithms. The team's working to improve this level of success further.

People make a lot of effort to control their body and facial movements when they hide a lie. However, Levy explains that "it's very, very hard for you to conceal a lie with this technology."

Before this latest technological development, polygraph tests were often used to identify lies. In the original tests, an individual was wired up to the polygraph machine using electrodes. The person who was thought to be lying was then questioned.

The machine measured different bodily responses such as people's breathing, heart rate, sweat and blood pressure. However, these machines are often seen as unreliable. Therefore, scientists and researchers have been looking into more advanced lie detection systems.

The researchers at Tel Aviv plan to develop their own system to use high-quality video cameras. This will allow liars to be identified even at a distance from tiny movements in the face.

The team predicts that their technology could be suitable in many settings. These include financial centres, police interviews, in online employment interviews and by the airline industry.