Can Cameras and Machines Recognize Lying in Your Face?

 

One of the most popular tools on Apple's new iPhone X is its facial recognition system.

This latest iPhone gives users the power to open the device just by looking at it. The smartphone has performed well in tests set up to trick it into opening for an unapproved user.

The same kind of facial recognition system is also used for other purposes. One area that will depend heavily on the technology in the future is lie detection.

Traditional lie detection machines, called polygraphs, use sensors² connected to the body to measure physical changes in the body. These include blood pressure, breathing and heart rates and the amount of perspiration³ on the skin.

The person is asked a series of questions during the test. Any physical changes are studied to see which questions caused the reactions. The operator of the test then makes a decision about whether the results suggest the individual was lying or not.

In the future, experts say, lie detector⁴ tests will be carried out by systems that use video and machines. Researchers have a term for the intelligence shown by computers and other mechanical devices: artificial intelligence.

One company developing this kind of system is SilverLogic Labs in Seattle, Washington.

SilverLogic Labs calls its high-tech⁵ lie detector a “passive polygraph.” The most important piece of equipment is a video camera, which captures all a person’s visual and spoken reactions.

Jerimiah Hamon is the company's chief executive officer. He says the video images gather data that is then processed to make a decision about truthfulness⁷.

“We’re breaking it (footage) down into data and then using quant methods, or quantitative⁸ math, and deep learning from the videos to determine how a person’s emotional responses are tied to some stimulus⁹. So in this instance, it was questions.”

This technology is not new. It was first developed to measure the reactions people had while watching movies and television shows. Earlier studies showed this method was more exact in learning the true feelings of individuals who might try to suppress their honest opinions when answering questions.

SilverLogic Labs uses an algorithm to study the video of facial reactions of test subjects. It seeks to identify emotions, including anger, happiness and fear.

Rabia Piacentini is the company’s operations manager. She says the camera can gather detailed¹⁰ information to measure a number of emotional reactions. The data is processed by the machine, which then decides how truthful⁶ the subject is being.

In a demonstration¹¹ of the system, the machine detects sadness.

“Have you ever hurt someone intentionally¹²?”

“Yes.”

The tester says this suggests the subject is lying since many people show visual emotions when not telling the truth.

The idea of a video camera recording¹³ emotional responses and testing truthfulness – possibly even secretly - raises questions about privacy.

But SilverLogic Labs rejects those concerns. It says privacy only becomes a problem when the technology is misused¹⁴. The company’s Jerimiah Hamon said he also believes a machine lie detector can be a better judge than a human tester.

“I think this is actually a super enhancement to civil rights, because cameras and computers aren’t biased¹⁵ to race, ethnicity, age, gender¹⁶ - any of that."

In another use of the technology, the United States and Canada have studied how facial recognition systems might be used to detect lying at the border.

The system is called the Automated¹⁷ Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments¹⁸ in Real Time, or AVATAR. It uses a computer-generated face that asks travelers a series of questions. A camera inside the machine studies how the person reacts. It can recognize changes in the eyes and voice, as well as any body movements.

If the system identifies a traveler as possibly lying, that person could be stopped and asked to complete additional security testing.

Developers of this technology say it could be used for other purposes as well. They believe it could help police detect untruthfulness and might be used by companies interviewing people for employment.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

sensor¹ – n. a device that detects or senses heat, light, sound, motion and then reacts to it in a particular way

perspiration – n. clear liquid that forms on skin when a person is hot or nervous

passive – adj. something that happens without specific action being taken

visual – adj. related to seeing

quantitative – adj. relating to how much there is of something

stimulus – n. something that causes something else to happen

algorithm – n. set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process

enhancement – n. an improvement in something

detection – n. the act of identifying the presence of something

data – n. facts, numbers and other information

1 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

2 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

3 perspiration   

n.汗水；出汗

参考例句：

• It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
• The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

4 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

5 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

6 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

7 truthfulness   

n. 符合实际

参考例句：

• Among her many virtues are loyalty, courage, and truthfulness. 她有许多的美德，如忠诚、勇敢和诚实。
• I fired a hundred questions concerning the truthfulness of his statement. 我对他发言的真实性提出一连串质问。

8 quantitative   

adj.数量的，定量的

参考例句：

• He said it was only a quantitative difference.他说这仅仅是数量上的差别。
• We need to do some quantitative analysis of the drugs.我们对药物要进行定量分析。

9 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

12 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

13 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

14 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

16 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

17 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

18 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句