Lie-detecting headband promises to find the truth with infrared light

While most folks working to improve on the traditional lie detector have veered towards MRIs, EEGs and the like, Scott Bunce of Drexel University's College of Medicine has taken a decidedly different approach and turned to an infrared light-based method, which he seems to think would be both less expensive and more accurate. Apparently, the system works simply by sending infrared light into your brain and measuring how much is reflected back, which varies depending on the levels of oxygen in the blood, and in turn gives an indication of brain activity. Not surprisingly, the research appears to have already attracted the interested of some of the usual suspects -- namely, the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the Department of Homeland Security, who have provided some of the funding -- but it seems like there's still some more work to be done before it moves beyond the lab. At least as far as we know.

[Via Crave]

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 24th 2008 1:05PM]

Good thing we're also wearing our Sea Rhinoceros-repelling undergarments!

[El Taco @ Sep 24th 2008 3:41PM]

spongebob squarepants reference = fail

the fact that I knew that that was a spongebob squartepants reference = more fail

(ranks self down)

[phanbouy @ Sep 24th 2008 3:43PM]

@taco

you played doom on yourself

[Charlie Calhoun @ Sep 24th 2008 6:43PM]

and now he's going through a crysis in his head... maybe.. only the lie detector headand will tell..

[waiownsyou @ Sep 24th 2008 1:05PM]

omg h4x

[xcrunk @ Sep 24th 2008 1:06PM]

Is this the same type as the 12V electric version which is being currently used in GITMO to extract information? It uses a standard 12V car battery. Very cheap and effective.

[Mile @ Sep 24th 2008 1:20PM]

s/b S. Dunce, amirite?

[webon @ Sep 24th 2008 1:41PM]

say wha?

[phanbouy @ Sep 24th 2008 2:29PM]

i agree with the dunce part

[Robert Linger @ Sep 24th 2008 1:21PM]

Tin foil hats, metal plate inserts...think ..think

[tom @ Sep 24th 2008 1:28PM]

I thought you are suppose to check the pants to see if it went on fire.=P

[Lowest Ranked @ Sep 24th 2008 1:32PM]

Its Jordi LaForge!

[Cybergypsy @ Sep 24th 2008 1:38PM]

Gee Men would still lie and find away around it.

[Jerome Demers @ Sep 24th 2008 1:41PM]

this mean when I lie, my brain works harder?

hard to believe.

Answer yes no question is not that hard.

[Ryan @ Sep 24th 2008 1:48PM]

Hard to believe your brain ever works hard with comments like that.

[phanbouy @ Sep 24th 2008 2:28PM]

lol when i lie it means i talk and talking happens with or without brain and therefore i don't exist

[Klebbenator @ Sep 24th 2008 1:45PM]

Did the Mormons invent this?

[Artie Lange @ Sep 24th 2008 1:50PM]

And all this time I thought the homeless guys screaming about government mind control were just schizophrenic. Turns out they were cutting-edge futurists!

[Valicore @ Sep 24th 2008 2:04PM]

Great, just what we need, another ugly ass headbandflashlight to shine invisible lights into our brains. Never Homeland Security, NEVER!

[phanbouy @ Sep 24th 2008 2:15PM]

good thing the spammers and incoherent morons are here to keep the discussion truckin' along

[rat bastard @ Sep 24th 2008 2:27PM]

Dean Kamen mentioned something about using this to control his bionic arm project in that video that was going around online a couple of weeks ago. Cool stuff.

[Artie Lange @ Sep 24th 2008 3:17PM]

Dear Mr. lcfigueiredo,

I am the prince of Nigeria. I have just inherited $1 billion. For many reasons, I can not cash my $1 billion check in Nigeria. If you will let me deposit my $1 billion check into your bank account, I will let you keep 10%. Please send me $1000 in cash to pay for the stamp to mail you my $1 billion check. Your friend,

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[phanbouy @ Sep 24th 2008 3:42PM]

hI,

my dReam is to get teh hand outz so i can buy teh spaM softwair to make more dream.

[phanbouy @ Sep 24th 2008 3:53PM]

i am job

[inteller @ Sep 24th 2008 4:11PM]

I think the only place this headband works is on that stupid Avatar cartoon.

[RoboDan @ Sep 24th 2008 4:29PM]

Hmm... aiming high amounts of heat radiation (IR) into a human's head? Sounds like a great idea! Cellular components respond VERY well to high levels of heat - especially those composed primarily of heat-sensitive proteins!

I have a better idea, though. We'll aim a gamma ray gun at a person's head and excite electrons to do a little dance around the areas of the brain using the most oxygen! Yes, it was a bad idea and badly thought out. The IR thing, that is.

[mkchu84 @ Sep 24th 2008 6:16PM]

It's totally safe actually. Very little energy is absorbed by soft tissue at near infrared wavelengths.

[Geoff900 @ Sep 24th 2008 4:47PM]

It would be funny though if they tested it on someone for the first time and the person, spazes out on the floor.

[Fray @ Sep 24th 2008 5:57PM]

Alert the police that their new nonlethal suppression system is ready for spurious and indiscriminant use.

(Warning: actual levels of "nonlethal" may vary).

[ED @ Sep 24th 2008 6:45PM]

+1 for humourous use of "the usual suspects"

[phil @ Sep 24th 2008 9:49PM]

shinning ir light thru the skull onto the brain? Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?

[MacDoc @ Sep 25th 2008 7:05AM]

Just like the polygraph none of this stuff works and never will.
All these things will ever be are tools of intimidation.

[MacDoc @ Sep 25th 2008 7:15AM]

You want the TRUTH? You can't handle the TRUTH!!

Because the "TRUTH" It's called.... Water Boarding!!

[Y1n_X1 @ Sep 26th 2008 11:40AM]

I attend drexel and one of the guys in my old major (digital media) used this device to manipulate a video game. Pretty much by focusing hard you can lift up a platform as more oxygen is sent to your frontal lobe. It was his senior project and went over really well with everyone. Not exactly a plethora of control options but interesting none the less.