Law enforcement agencies from all over the globe have relied on lie detectors to help them unearth criminals, root out spies, and expose traitors for almost 100 years. Although they see plenty of use in the real world, most people's memories of lie detectors will be from the countless films and TV shows that use the truth telling contraption as a storytelling device, strapping characters into them to build tension and suspense.

Polygraph testing may soon undergo a revolution, however, according to researchers based in both Britain and the Netherlands, who claim they have created a new method of lie detection that boasts a success rate of over 70% in tests. The team expect big things from their new technology and are confident it will be the go-to method of lie detection for the majority of law enforcement agencies around the world within the next decade. 

Unlike the current method of lie detection, which identifies the truth by monitoring a subject's facial tics, gestures and verbal patterns, this newly discovered method determines whether a person is guilty or not by observing their full-body motions. 

The researchers believe that the more someone is lying, the more they will fidget, and by employing a full-body motion suit (similar to the ones used by the movie industry to capture animation data for computer generated characters), they can pick up on these movements. The suit is fitted with a total of 17 sensors, capable of registering movement up to 120 times per second, across 23 joints and in three dimensions. 

Ross Anderson, a member of the research team and professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, said the new method exceeded even their expectations, achieving a reliability rating of over 70%. As impressive as that sounds, Anderson believes his team can do better, claiming that the newest round of tests have already pushed past the 80% barrier. 

One of the major advantages of this new, full-body motion technology is that it isn't confused by things like cultural background, nervousness and cognitive load (how much a person is thinking), all of which can throw off other lie detection technologies.