Systems and methods for non-intrusive deception detection

Abstract

Systems and methods for detecting deceptive intent of a subject include observing eye movements of the subject and correlating the observed movements to known baseline neurophysiological indicators of deception. A detection system may record eye movement data from the subject, compare the eye movement data to a data model comprising threshold eye movement data samples, and from the comparison make a determination whether or not the subject is lying. The detection system may create an alert if deception is detected. The eye movements detected include saccadic and intersaccadic parameters such as intersaccadic drift velocity. Measurements may be collected in situ with a field testing device, such as a non-invasive, non-contact device attached to the subject's computing device and configured to non-obtrusively record the eye movement data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a sensing arrangement that collects eye movement data of a user;   an alerting arrangement that produces a perceptible alert in response to receipt of an alert signal; and   a control unit in electronic communication with the sensing arrangement and the alerting arrangement, the control unit comprising:
 a data analysis module that configures the control unit to extract one or more current eye movement dynamics from the eye movement data; and 
 a comparison module that configures the control unit to:
 receive the one or more current eye movement dynamics from the data analysis module; 
 identify, by comparing the one or more current eye movement dynamics to one or more baseline eye movement dynamics accessible by the control unit, a deceptive intent of the user; and 
 send the alert signal to the alerting arrangement in response to an identification of the deceptive intent. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensing arrangement does not contact the user while collecting the eye movement data. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensing arrangement comprises one or more sensors in electronic communication with a computing device of the user. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the control unit is in electronic communication with the computing device and the alerting arrangement is in electronic communication with a recipient device operated by a recipient of data transmitted by the user, the alerting arrangement being configured to produce the alert on the recipient device. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the data transmitted by the user is transmitted over a social network to which the computing device of the user and the recipient device are connected. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 :
 wherein the current eye movement dynamics include one or more intersaccadic drift velocities of the user and the data analysis module is configured to calculate the one or more intersaccadic drift velocities; and   wherein the comparison module is configured to compare one or more of the intersaccadic drift velocities to one or more threshold drift velocities of the baseline eye movement dynamics.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein one of the intersaccadic drift velocities comprises a drift mean velocity. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein one of the intersaccadic drift velocities comprises a current intersaccadic drift velocity, and wherein when the current intersaccadic drift velocity is slower than the one or more threshold drift velocities by more than a threshold amount, the comparison module sends the alert signal. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the data analysis module calculates the current intersaccadic drift velocity by:
 identifying, in the eye movement data, a drift period comprising a duration and a distance; and   determining the intersaccadic drift velocity from the duration and the distance.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the eye movement dynamics include one or more saccade parameters and wherein the saccade parameters comprise a saccadic peak velocity and a magnitude, and wherein the comparison module is configured to compare the current intersaccadic drift velocity to one or more threshold drift velocities of the baseline eye movement dynamics. 
     
     
         11 . A system, comprising:
 a sensing arrangement that collects eye movement data of a subject; and   a control unit in communication with the sensing arrangement, the control unit being configured to:
 compare the eye movement data to one or more baseline measurements of eye movement dynamics; and 
 responsive to an indication that the eye movement data diverges from one or more of the baseline measurements by a threshold amount corresponding to an indication that the subject is lying, generate an alert for delivery to the subject. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein comparing the eye movement data to the baseline measurements comprises calculating a current intersaccadic drift velocity of the subject and comparing the current intersaccadic drift velocity to one or more threshold drift velocities of the baseline measurements. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the eye movement data comprises one or more saccade parameters. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein comparing the eye movement data to the baseline measurements comprises calculating a current intersaccadic drift velocity of the subject from the saccade parameters and comparing the current intersaccadic drift velocity to one or more threshold drift velocities of the baseline measurements. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the baseline measurements comprise one or more bio-signatures each corresponding to one of one or more response conditions. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein one of the one or more response conditions is a deceptive answer to a question. 
     
     
         17 . A method of determining whether a subject is lying, the method comprising:
 recording, from the subject with a detection device, eye movement data of one or both of the subject's eyes;   comparing, with the detection device, the eye movement data to one or more baseline measurements; and   if the eye movement data diverges from one or more of the baseline measurements by a threshold amount corresponding to an indication that the subject is lying, delivering, with the detection device, an alert to one or more of the subject and an administrator.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the eye movement data comprises one or both of saccade parameters and intersaccadic drift parameters. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the baseline measurements comprise one or more bio-signatures each corresponding to one of one or more response conditions. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein one of the one or more response conditions is a deceptive answer to a question.