History

The idea to create a lie detection technology by tracking eye behaviour originated in 2003. But the precursor of EyeDetect actually began decades earlier.

Professors John C. Kircher (left) and David C. Raskin (right) are internationally-known and highly respected scientists in the polygraph community. They frequently consult and lecture on this subject, as well as provide guidance to the polygraph community, government agencies, legislatures and the courts.

They first published research on polygraph technology in the 1970s and then spent 10 years developing the software and hardware for the world’s first computerized polygraph system, which they marketed in 1991. They recognised the need to find new lie detection methods that could complement the polygraph.

In 2002, John Kircher and his colleague, Doug Hacker (above), an educational psychologist with expertise in the psychology of reading, were driving to Seattle to climb Mt. Rainier. En route, they wondered if changes in eye movements and pupil size while reading and answering questions about a crime would reveal deception. They asked themselves, “Would changes in cognitive load affect the eye in such a way that we can capture those changes and be as accurate as the polygraph in predicting whether or not someone is being deceptive?” Thus the idea for an ocular-motor deception (ODT) test was born — later to be branded as EyeDetect.

In 2003, Professors Kircher and Hacker formed a science team that included cognitive scientists Anne Cook (above left) and Dan Woltz (above right). They began working together to produce and validate an ODT solution.

In 2006, the Osher Dissertation documented the first lab study that demonstrated the effectiveness of the ODT. A second formal scientific study in 2008 confirmed the effectiveness of the ODT technology, and its results were published in the Webb Dissertation in August of that year.

In October 2009, Credibility Assessment Technologies LLC (CAT) was formed to begin laying the groundwork for bringing this technology to the market.

On December 12, 2013, the company was officially renamed Converus, Inc. The name Converus is derived from two Latin words: con (meaning “with”) and verus (meaning “truth”).

After 10 years of the Converus science team fine-tuning EyeDetect, this innovative technology has emerged as a viable, complementary method to the polygraph for business and government applications. Converus’ vision is to provide trustworthy, innovative solutions for the deception detection industry.

Timeline

1921

First Modern Polygraph Invented

by John Augustus Larson, a medical student at the University of California at Berkeley.

1939

The FBI Begins Using the Polygraph

1991

John C. Kircher and David C. Raskin Computerize the Polygraph

2002

Scientists John Kircher and Doug Hacker Come Up with the Idea

of developing a deception detection technology based on measuring the eyes during reading and answering true-false statements.

2003

Scientists John Kircher and Doug Hacker Form a Science Team

that includes Anne Cook and Dan Woltz  to produce and validate an ocular-motor deception test (ODT).

2006

First Formal Scientific Study Confirms ODT Technology

Results are published in the Osher Dissertation.

2008

Second Formal Scientific Study Confirms the Effectiveness of ODT Technology

Results are published in the Webb Dissertation.

2009

David Raskin Joins the Science Team

Credibility Assessment Technologies LLC is Formed

to begin laying the groundwork for bringing this ODT technology to the market.

2012

Science Team Conducts Field Tests in the United States

ODT Technology is Peer-Reviewed

Published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

2013

Alta Ventures Invests in Credibility Assessment Technologies

with the objective of accelerating the commercialization of the technology.

Greg Parkinson joins as Chief Software Architect

The ODT Technology is Given the Brand Name EyeDetect

Todd Mickelsen is Appointed the President and CEO

2013.11.01

Further Research is Conducted in Monterrey, Mexico

and the technology’s algorithms are optimized for the Latin American market.

2013.12.12

Company Name is Changed to Converus, Inc.

The name Converus is derived from two Latin words: con (meaning “with”) and verus (meaning “truth”).

2014.04.08

EyeDetect’s Worldwide Release Announced

at a press conference in Mexico City.

2014.05.22

The 1st EyeDetect Station is Shipped

2014.07.01

Russ Warner Joins as VP Marketing & Operations

2014.09.01

Ben Stout Joins as Chief Technology Officer

2015.01.13

1st Annual Converus Service Partner Conference

held in Lehi, UT.

2015.02.01

Converus Nominated for UVEF’s Hot 100 List

2015.04.01

Morgan Freeman Features EyeDetect

on the Science Channel’s program “Through the Wormhole”.

2015.08.01

EyeDetect Begins Selling in the USA

Salt Lake Police Dept. is the first customer.

2015.09.01

David Raskin Speaks at American Polygraph Association Annual Seminar

2015.12.01

Converus Begins Promoting EyeDetect to the U.S. Federal Government

at a seminar series in Washington, D.C.

2016.01.01

EyeDetect Has 175 Customers in Various Countries

2016.01.14

2nd Annual Converus Service Partner Conference

held in Las Vegas, NV.

2016.03.01

Midas, in Spain, Becomes 1st European Brand to Use EyeDetect

2016.06.01

EyeDetect Tablet Version Released

2016.08.01

Mark Handler Steps Down From His Role as a Converus Advisory Board Member

and joins the company as Director of Professional Services.

2017.01.01

Converus Has Over 350 Customers in 22 Countries

2017.02.01

Pamela Meyer Joins the Converus Advisory Board

World-renowned deception detection expert, bestselling author and TED talk superstar.

2017.03.01

Darryl Bullens Joins the Converus Advisory Board

Polygraph and forensics expert.

2017.05.10

3rd Annual Converus Service Partner Conference

Held in Cancún, Mexico.

2017.06.01

Jayson Ahern Joins the Converus Advisory Board

Former acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

2017.06.01

Converus Updates its Logo. Tagline Added: “Truth validated.”

2017.08.23

IdentityDetect Released

The first browser-based identity verification technology that accurately detects fake identities in less than 3 minutes.

2017.10.03

Converus Credibility Assessment Expert (CCAE) Certification Introduced

2018.01.01

Converus Has 116 Service Partners and 429 EyeDetect Customers in 35 Countries

2018.01.10

4th Annual Converus Service Partner Conference

Held in Orlando, FL.

2018.01.12

Converus Offers its First CCAE Certification Course in the U.S.

2018.04.02

First Politician Running for U.S. Congress Tested by EyeDetect

Edwin Duterte, California candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, takes EyeDetect test to verify he’s honest and trustworthy.

2018.05.01

Neal Harris, VP of Business Development, Retires

2018.05.15

EyeDetect Test Results Allowed as Evidence in a U.S. Court for the First Time

2018.11.01

EyeDetect Featured on Nationally Syndicated Reality TV Show, “Couples Court with the Cutlers”

2019.01.01

Converus Has Over 500 customers in 40 Countries

2019.01.30

EyeDetect Directed Lie Comparison (DLC) Test for Investigations Released

An initial field study shows this 15-minute test is more than 90 percent accurate.

2019.01.30

5th Annual Converus Service Partner Conference

Held in Lehi, UT.

2019.03.15

Team Converus/AML Partners a Finalist in 2019 MITRE Challenge

2019.05.30

EyeDetect Multi-issue Comparison Test (MCT) Protocol Released

MCT scores up to four relevant issues in a single test and also accurately identifies the issue that caused the candidate to fail the test.

2019.06.26

Renowned Polygraph Expert Dr. John Kircher Joins Converus Staff

2019.10.10

EyeDetect for Investigations awarded first place at the 17th Annual Utah Innovation Awards

The technology places first in the “Enterprise Software, Cloud and Big Data” category.

2020.02.19

Converus Releases the EyeDetect v4 Station, a Laptop Version