Parents and jealous spouses have probably often wished for the power of a polygraph in their hands. The ability to strap a teenager or cheating husband into a lie detector and then find out if what they claim is really the truth could potentially change everything in a household. Until recently, this idea was just dream, but advances in technology have
made the home lie detector a reality. Although, as Fox News reports, some experts are unsure about it being a good idea for consumers.
Portable Lie Detectors
Portable lie detectors have been used by the US military for several years now. As NBC News reported at the time the machines were not perfect, but “…accurate enough to save American lives by screening local police officers, interpreters and allied forces for access to U.S. military bases, and by helping narrow the list of suspects after a roadside bombing.” The smaller version of this polygraph has been adapted even further to hook into home computers and laptops syncing with software that imitates the real polygraph.
Potential Problems
Although the technology is advanced enough to give the same readings as a traditional polygraph, what’s missing in the portable or at home device is a trained and licensed polygrapher. Since the inception of the first polygraph various schools and associations have worked hard to train and standardize examiners and their interrogation techniques. Interpreting the data and building the questions is a huge part of the process that leads some experts to boast 90 percent accuracy.
So, while portable polygraphs might mimic some of the functions they can never come with the training and expertise of a professional polygrapher. Since we might never be able to develop the technology to determine lie from truth with a machine that simply responds yes or no, the process will always be a bit subjective. While at-home lie detectors might make teens and potential liars nervous, nothing beats a trained polygrapher.