Do lie detector tests really work?
According to Paul Marks writing in the 7 January 2006 New Scientist, the US Department of Defense plans to develop a lie detector that can be used without the subject knowing they are being assessed. The Remote Personnel Assessment (RPA) device will also be used to pinpoint fighters hiding in a combat zone, or even to spot signs of personal stress that might mark someone out as a terrorist or suicide bomber. The RPA will use microwaves or laser beams reflected off a subject’s skin to assess various physiological signs without the need for wires or skin contact. The RPA will focus a beam on a moving or non-moving subject and use the reflected signal to calculate pulse, respiration, or galvanic skin response. Stephen Juan, Ph.D. is an anthropologist at the University of Sydney.
