Sweat Ducts May Act As Antenna For Lie Detection

Reservoir Hill writes "Researchers have discovered that human skin may contain millions of tiny "antennas" in the form of microscopic sweat ducts that may reveal a person's physical and emotional state. This discovery might eventually result in lie detectors that operate at a distance. In experiments, the team beamed electromagnetic waves with a frequency range of about 100 gigahertz at the hands of test subjects and measured the frequency of the electromagnetic waves reflecting off the subjects' skin. Initially, the experiments were carried out in contact with the subjects' hands, but even at a distance of 22 cm, researchers found a strong correlation between subjects' blood pressure and pulse rate, and the frequency response of their skin."

Comments

Nerves

[backwardMechanic]

It's not a lie detector, it's a nervous person detector, just like the polygraph. It's clever, but it's more likely to find someone who doesn't like being interviewed by the [insert agency here] than a cold blooded killer.

Re:Nerves

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not a lie detector, it's a nervous person detector, just like the polygraph. It's clever, but it's more likely to find someone who doesn't like being interviewed by the [insert agency here] than a cold blooded killer.

No doubt the science behind this will be proven just as porous(pun intended) as it is with polygraphs. Unfortunately you can also expect it to be used in similar fashion as well as an interrogation device, a test for trustworthiness for bonding purposes and job retention, as well as behavioural modification steps which actually serve as excuses to proclaim parole/probation violations on demand. This needs to be studied widely if for no other reason then to shoot it down later in court.

At a distance?

[blind biker]

I hope they improve existing lie detectors, the "at a distance" option is much less important.

Re:At a distance?

[BountyX]

We have one lie detection method that works 100% . It's called torture. Keep doing it and eventually you'll detect a lie.

Voight-Kampff

[NemesisBubu]

Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about... your mother.

Good !

[Ihlosi]

I want these detectors to be made a mandatory addition to any camera that is used when interviewing politicians. Data from the detector should be processed into a simple BS-o-meter gauge that is displayed along with the interview.

Re:Good !

[Stray7Xi]

Sorry but lie detectors can't detect sociopaths.

Re:It's even crappier

[SL Baur]

1. As you mention, what do you do about people who genuinely believe something bogus?

As a milder example, human memory isn't photographic, ever. My favorite proof of this is the work of Adriaan de Groot see http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3290

But really now. I *did* have to dodge sniper fire from angry Chiba farmers who didn't want their land "annexed" into a new runway the first time I flew into Narita.

Re:that's not a lie detector

[threeturn]

Precisely. More hocus-pocus rubbish from the "we'll sell you security" brigade. Still doubtless the TSA will buy loads so they have a new toy to intimidate travellers with.

Re:Sci-Fi Lie-detection at a distance? I think not

[aadvancedGIR]

"especially in situations where it is hard to measure BP"

You mean, like hidden in the front door of insurance compagnies?

Re:What could possibly go wrong?

[Dan541]

This is for our own good.

Something to do with the War on Freedom, probably. Fixed that for you.

Enough with the Privacy tag already

[stewbacca]

Gee, a study that says 40% of us are paranoid, then this article gets posted as newsworthy ( and with the tag "privacy" ).

I used to think slashdot was a site about technology but now days it's just a bunch of paranoid conspiracy theorists worried about stuff that isn't happening, at the same time complaining about the Bush administration's culture of Fear.

Re:It's even crappier

[Anonymous Coward]

Hypnosis is bullshit and only work on people who believe it will work....

This isn't new

[hyades1]

There's been something around since the dawn of history that can detect a lie from a significant distance. We call her, "Mom".

You're damn right it's crappier...

[big_paul76]

For anybody who thinks that the scientific basis of the polygraph is anything other than 100%, weapons-grade bullonium, I got a couple of names names for you:

Aldrich Ames:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldrich_Ames

Gary Leon Ridgway (AKA green river killer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_river_killer

Both of them passed a polygraph. With Ames, he passed numerous polygraphs while he was working for the USSR.

Apologists for polygraph testing say that Ames was given big, bad, scary, 'sophisticated countermeasures' by his KGB contacts, but he says that all his KGB guy told him was to get a good night's sleep and try to relax.

You can read Ames' letter to the federation of American Scientists here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/polygraph/ames.html