Stressed Gamblers May Be Scanned
Chinese scientists have developed a pair of goggles that can scan crowds for the heightened mental stress levels of potential criminals.
As technological developments continue to plunge us towards a dystopian future that will make Blade Runner look like a Labor Day picnic and Soylent Green merely a movie about losing weight, there are always going to be some moments where even the most hardened cynic will put down their blackjack cards and say “What?” in the urgent tones of someone whose brain has only just caught up with what their ears have actually heard. This time it’s the development of crowd scanners.
Scanning The Crowd For Threats
• Chinese create stress detecting goggles
• Among many future smart strategies for security
• Casinos likely to adopt technology
Chinese scientists at Southwest University in Chongqing have begun the development of a pair of goggles that could be worn by police or security guards that can measure the amount of stress an individual is under, spotting those most stressed in an otherwise placid crowd. Measuring the level of blood oxygenation using hyperspectral imaging (no, I’m not making this up) this stress sensor would help pick out the highly mentally stressed who, apparently, are deemed more likely to be criminals.
Use And Abuse Likely
Such technology is almost certain to make an appearance at a casino near you in an addition to some of the most sophisticated security systems in the world. The goggles, that place a “mental stress bar” above the heads of suspects, highlighting the most stressed in red, are still in a proto-type stage and laboratory bound for the moment, but more than one large corporate entity is looking at their implications for limiting loss due to theft or swindle. The equipment can even tell the difference between stress and mere physical exertion, which is probably just as well.
Of course with huge room for misuse and abuse the developers insist commercial release will not occur until there are laws covering the use of the machine, but that lofty ideal may well fall foul of the almighty paycheck. Casinos have always been early adopters of technological advances and there is no reason to suspect this one will be ignored by the ever vigilant security staff at your favorite gambling hall, so next time you sit down at a blackjack tournament you might well be getting scanned, just in case you turn out to be a cleverly disguised threat.
