Technology To Detect Guilt (‘real-time dynamic passive profiling’)

[Guest guest]

Catching Smugglers With Technology To Detect Guilt

 

ScienceDaily (Oct. 20, 2008) — Researchers are looking to increase

security at border controls by developing a computer system that can

detect guilt.

 

Dr Hassan Ugail, Head of Visual Computing Research at the University

of Bradford's School of Informatics, is part of a team working on a

£500,000 project to develop technologies that would assist the border

control agencies in identifying people trying to smuggle contraband

goods or narcotics through customs.

 

The project, which starts in December 2008 and will last over two

years, also involves Dr Reyer Zwiggelaar from the University of

Aberystwyth and is being funded by the Engineering and Physical

Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The research team will also

collaborate closely with the Home Office, HM Revenue & Customs and

leading international defence and security technology company QinetiQ.

 

The main aim of the project is to develop technology that can profile

people as they pass through border controls to help security agencies

identify smugglers. If implemented, the ideal outcome would be to

increase identification of smugglers and decrease the amount of

contraband and drugs entering the UK.

 

The technology will use a technique called `real-time dynamic passive

profiling' based on the modelling of facial expressions, eye movement

and pupil changes in both the visual and thermal terms. This will

then link to malicious intent and physiological processes such as

blood flow, eye movement patterns and pupil dilation.

 

Dr Ugail explains: " What we are proposing to develop is essentially a

passive lie detector. We aim to automatically analyse peoples' facial

expressions and eye movements in response to a series of questions

through video images and computer-based intelligent algorithms.

 

" For example, trained officers at the border control points are very

good in spotting people carrying contraband by simply analysing their

facial expressions in response to questions but it is tricky to teach

a machine to do this.

 

" However, some smugglers can be very good actors who can easily hide

their emotions. That's why we aim to extend this study to other non-

visual domains such as the use of thermal imaging to study facial

blood flow which is extremely hard to control. "

 

If successful, this work has a potential remit beyond border control

applications. For example, the system could be used for police

interrogations and interview scenarios. " Who knows - it could even be

used to enhance our real-time computer gaming experiences, " added Dr

Ugail.

 

 

 

Adapted from materials provided by University of Bradford, via

AlphaGalileo.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/

2008/10/081002095014.htm