Feature

The Truth Hurts

Scientists question voice-based lie detection

By Rachel Ehrenberg

- More than 2 years ago

Truster-Pro and the Vericator may sound like devices Wile E. Coyote would order from the Acme Co., but they are real technologies for detecting lies. Unlike the traditional polygraph, which zeroes in on factors such as pulse and breathing rate, these analyzers aim to assess veracity based solely on speech.

THE TRUTH HURTS Many police forces have turned to voice-based lie detectors, but scientists are finding that these polygraph alternatives don’t reliably tell fact from fiction.