An ATM machine that requires you to get hooked to a lie detector machine. So when you enter the pin number it asks you something like: is this card legit and everything is cool with the transaction? So if you answer yes and you are lying the atm machine shoots a net that grabs you and calls the police.-- SmartyPants, Oct 20 2003 This could be linked to retinal scanner ATMs (I think I heard those existed...)...wait...that would be redundant...never mind that. Lie detectors need a base to work off, so one question wouldn't be enough...a series of questions would be needed. Is ATM/card theft this big a problem? The number of related ideas seems insane...but could be justifiable. + Anyway, cos I like the net (electrified would be nice. Is that legal? Meh, who cares...)-- inc_b, Oct 20 2003 It seems like it might be kind of a pain for ordinary ... non thiefish people. I mean ... "PLEASE STRAP VELCRO LOOP TO UPPER ARM, ATTATCH ELECTRODE TO FORHEAD. NOW ANSWER THIS SERIES OF QUESTIONS -- 1,2 ..."-- DaGreengo, Oct 20 2003 Well, lie detectors aren't all they have been made out to be. A real one, like DaGreengo said. Requires a band to be strapped around your chest to measure breathing. Electrodes strapped to your head to measure sweating, and a band to measure heartbeat, etc.
The majority of what you see that do not use these methods measure stress in your voice. Of course a true lie detector requires several base questions and for some people it registers everything as a lie. It doesn't detect lies; it detects fluctuations in your body vitals, because most people have slight alterations in their vitals when they lie. If you are calm and relaxed it is easy to pass a lie detector.
And the voice stress "lie detectors" can register everything as a lie depending on different voice tones. So, this would be extremely costly and cost hundreds of thousands to pay for all of the equipment and training for the people to run them. For the same price you could employ armed guards. But then, is not the purpose of an atm is to be unmanned is it not?-- thelambs, Oct 20 2003 Alert from the PC police to [thelambs]. No the purpose of an atm is to be "unstaffed" not "unmanned". Obviously the menial task of handing over decorated paper to a customer is more suited to a woman as she can gossip, apply make-up and daydream about hunky men at the same time. (please don't flame me - that was intended as amusing side-joke.)-- dobtabulous, Oct 21 2003 The most reliable lie detectors, it is said, are the ones that detect the temperature around your eyes. But for goodness' sake, if you're recording the customer's voice, why not do simple voice detection?-- DrCurry, Oct 21 2003 ATM: "What... is your favourite colour?"Sir Galahad: "Blue. No, yel-- aaaaargh!"-- alligator_al, Oct 21 2003 random, halfbakery