British airports may soon put to test a new lie-detection technology --- a "real-time dynamic passive profiling" system unveiled recently by the scientists at Bradford and Aberystwyth universities!

The new lie-detection system - which will be secretly tested, without the knowledge of the passengers - is based on facial analysis; and it essentially detects lies by examining the passengers' expressions, eye movements, and blood flow around the eyes.

Unveiled at the British Science Festival in Bradford on Monday, the lie-detection computer program is being developed with funding from a £500,000 grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The system is being developed in collaboration with the Home Office and HM Revenue and Customs; along with the involvement of defence security firm, Qinetiq.

According to the developers of the new lie-detection system, the program is, at present, nearly 70 percent accurate in detecting a lie; and it is being hoped that it will soon reach up to the 90 percent accuracy level achieved by the traditional polygraph lie detector under ideal conditions.

Describing the new system as a "a complete step change" from the polygraph, Hassan Ugail - a professor of visual computing at Bradford University - elaborated: "The new non-invasive format means that those being questioned won't have to be attached to a machine - and therefore could also provide an opportunity to find out if someone is lying without them actually knowing they are being assessed"!