What is the latest high-tech approach to securing borders in the United States?
According to CNN , it is Elvis! Developed by University of Arizona researchers in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Elvis is our virtual border official that uses sensors to screen passengers for unusual physiological responses to questioning.
This Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real-Time, aka Avatar, is actually a kiosk. Avatar is being tested at Dennis DeConcini Port in Nogales, Arizona, which is a checkpoint on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“What we’re looking for is changes in human physiology. We’ve had great success in reliably detecting these anomalies — things that people can’t really detect,” said Doug Derrick, a member of the University of Arizona team behind the project.
One of the main selling points in Elvis is its ability to process travelers in just five minutes. If successful, the initiative could be rolled out in other parts of CBP’s operations. Derrick said it was hoped that, as well as providing better detection of suspicious behavior, the AVATAR kiosk would prove to be “a really important time and money saving tool.”
What are your thoughts on this virtual border official – AVATAR ?