January 10, 2004 A new lie detection technology promises remarkable benefits in determining whether people are telling you the truth IN REAL TIME. The technology is already being tested in a wide variety of applications such as anti-terrorism, law enforcement, and insurance claim assessment and has even been built into a pair of glasses with internal LED lights which will run a real-time analysis of conversations of the wearer, reporting on the veracity of the person the wearer is speaking to with a claimed accuracy of better than 95%.
The Israeli-developed technology is being licensed to companies for a wide array of applications such as anti-terrorism, law enforcement, insurance and workers compensation claim assessment and is already available as a downloadable PC program which can analyse live and telephone conversations.
The company is already showing a pair of glasses with internal LED lights which will run a real-time analysis of conversations of thee wearer reporting on the veracity of the person the wearer is speaking to with a claimed accuracy of better than 95%.
The Israeli technology is being licensed in America through a company with a single letter name: V
V is developing multiple applications using the technology and is licensing to companies for a wide array of purposes such as anti-terrorism, law enforcement, insurance and workers compensation claim assessment. The technology is already available as a downloadable PC program (http://www.v-entertainment.com/) which can analyse live and telephone conversations and check the veracity of one's significant other when speaking of love and other topics often associated with variations on the truth.
More accurate than a polygraph
The technology of voice analysis has been developed over the last 30 years mainly to improve methods of investigation. In it's infancy, the goal of voice stress analysis was to develop a non-invasive, flexible "lie-detector" that could produce results comparable to that of the poly-graph. Voice stress analysis machines were the product of this early research. Unfortunately, the results of these initial efforts did not advance to the level of polygraph techniques.
Accuracy rates of voice stress analysis, while better than 50%, were not reaching the 70%-80% range that a polygraph can produce. LVA, one of the applications which uses the technology, uses up to 8,000 mathematical algorithms to determine if a person is telling the truth.
LVA tracks and analyses the mechanics of vocal patterns to identify emotional states such as excitement, stress, uncertainty and deception. The software can run on variety of computer systems, including laptops for portable use wherever security is a concern.
While the traditional polygraph is based on subjective analysis and uses physiological responses to determine if a person is telling the truth, LVA employs objective means and uses psychological responses. 'LVA far surpasses existing voice stress analysis technology by identifying the "why" behind a response,' said Richard Parton, CEO of V.
'It's not what you say, but how you say it. This is crucial, for example, in an airport setting where factors such as fear of flying, or concern about missing a plane may result in high stress levels without any improper intent.'
LVA is the main investigative focus tool designed for law enforcement, homeland security, intelligence, and armed forces professionals. This product operates in online, offline, and interrogation modes so users can focus their investigations sooner and don't waste time or resources chasing the wrong leads or the wrong suspect.
Online mode works spontaneously'without a predefined script, purpose, or pre-planned questions. The feedback indicates the cause of each 'problem' response'stress, excitement, confusion, inaccuracy, etc.'enabling investigators to tailor questions and follow leads as they develop.
Offline mode gives investigators a more efficient, accurate way to analyze pre-recorded (.wav) files, conversations, interviews or interrogations. Offline uses more vocal patterns to provide a much deeper analysis. LVA then generates a complete profile and report summarizing the overall emotional behaviour of the subject during the session.
Interrogation mode, developed with aid of internationally accredited polygraph experts, is designed to use the same sentence structures of questioning and psychological environment as a polygraph exam.
Polygraph operators can use this mode to screen a wide range of suspects and narrow the field down to a few for further evaluation. It also provides clear results necessary for use in employment screenings, suspect questioning, or verifying facts in a yes/no manner.
Already in use by some American law enforcement agencies, the new software is being met with approval. Waupun Wisconsin Police Chief Tom Winscher is using V's LVA technology.
'The use of this technology in criminal investigations is astounding,' said Winscher, who has over 31 years of law enforcement experience, including 25 years teaching interrogation and using the polygraph and other voice analysis technologies. 'Not only can you analyse 'live' conversations, but you can do a deep analysis of the interview, or do off-line analysis of recorded conversations. This enables law enforcement to focus on areas that require further investigation, saving a great deal of time.'
V's Gatekeeper Security product, GK-1, uses LVA technology to provide an easy-to-use way of clearing people through security checkpoints in less than 30 seconds.
Gatekeeper uses the responses to five 'yes or no' pre-scripted questions to provide real-time analysis and signal 'Green' for cleared, or 'Red' for the need for further questioning. The use of LVA technology in V's Gatekeeper Security product is significant because it provides objective risk assessment.
In an airport or other security setting, LVA provides an accurate and unbiased means of quantifying risk, avoiding both profiling and the wasted resources involved in random searches.
