Las Vegas NowCES - Voice Detection Analysis

CES - Voice Detection Analysis

(Jan. 8) -- A company called V-Entertainment is bringing voice analysis technology to consumers. It's a technology that's been used in the security and defense fields for some time, but now it's available to you and me. By playing a recording through V-Entertainment's new software, you can determine a lot of things about your subject. Richard Parton, the company CEO says, "It will tell you if the other person is stressed as they're talking to you, if they're not sure, if they're excited about what they're telling you."

Just for fun, we played Michael Jackson's recent interview on 60 Minutes. For the most part, it appeared as if Jackson was telling the truth. But on some occasions, the software revealed Jackson wasn't sure about the information he was revealing. Finding out if Michael Jackson is telling the truth is entertaining, but this software has real life applications, that could benefit consumers. For instance, is the mechanic repairing your car telling the truth? Parton imagines this scenario, "'Sir, this is John down at the garage. Your car is going to require about $2,000 worth of repairs before you can drive it out of here.' And you only took it in for a tune-up. You would be able to see that."

It also works for those trying to determine if their date is sincere. Software called the Love Detector can determine if the person on the other end is feeling affection or love. "Sorry but I'm not feeling anything for you right now," he tells me. The Love Detector software retails for $19.95. The full voice analysis software goes for $500. But, V-Entertainment's question is what would you pay to know what the other person is thinking? They believe that information is priceless.

This voice analysis technology was developed by a company in Israel, which used it at checkpoints to determine if the person was going where they said they were going. It's not legal to be used in settings like interviews, and most likely wouldn't be admissible in a court of law. But if you were on a date -- maybe it would work.

What's the difference between this and a polygraph? A polygraph measures for physical stress, just like this product, but a polygraph requires you to be attached. This one doesn't. You can also use it on pre-recorded voices.