An American company has developed a truth-detecting brain scan system that could help deal with the increasing danger from "insider threats" to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,
Defense One reported.
The Pentagon revealed last weekend the American soldiers were being targeted by Sunni extremists who had infiltrated the Iraqi Army as well as pro-Iranian Shiite militants within the army, according to
The New York Times.
U.S. forces in Afghanistan are also at risk from insiders, the so-called "green-on-blue" attacks that have resulted in the deaths and injuries of several soldiers.
Rear Adm. John Kirby said this month "it would be imprudent, irresponsible not to think about the insider threat," according to
Agence France Presse.
Veritas Scientific, based in Virginia, is hoping the Pentagon will buy its truth-detection system called HandShake, which the company says will help U.S. troops to ascertain whether soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan can be trusted.
Developed by Derrell Small, a former U.S. Army counterintelligence agent, Veritas has put out a video to explain the system.
Story continues below video.
An Iraqi officer, for example, would be fitted with a special helmet that can pick up both electromagnetic signals (EEG) and perform functional near-infrared imaging (fNIRs) which images blood flow changes in the brain, according to Defense One.
The soldier would be shown a series of pictures, with a handful of them showing images that would trigger some brain recognition by a potential threat, such as faces, locations or even bomb parts.
Company founder Eric Elbot told
The Futurist said the recognition of IED parts by an Iraqi soldier does not mean he’s a terrorist.
"But if I flash a picture of a diagram that shows you how to build an IED, that would be a pretty strong indicator that you might be a foe," Elbot said. "You wouldn’t be studying how to make an IED if you were a friend."
The system runs all the data through what Veritas calls a "Friend or Foe Algorithm," which will measure an insider’s threat potential with 80 to 90 percent accuracy, the company says.
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