This summer, Simply Spiked Lemonade is touring their new Keep It Real Can. The Keep It Real Can is the world’s first lie detector in a can, offering similar responses to a polygraph test. Celebrating the warmer season, Simply Spiked Lemonade will be hosting pop-ups throughout the country in July and August.
Simply Spiked Lemonade is showcasing the Keep It Real Can alongside its three flavours—Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, and Blueberry Lemonade. The Keep It Real Can is designed in part to be a fun and light novelty that Simply Spiked Lemonade can use to put people in the hot seat and give their reviews.
iPhone in Canada got a chance to go hands-on with the Keep It Real Can, try it out ourselves and take a look at how all the technology is being condensed into a small footprint.
The Keep It Real Can creatively and effectively condolences the technology of a polygraph test into a 355mL can. At first glance, it looks like a true beverage can. It has the Simply Spiked Lemonade Keep It Real Can branding on the side and a foe tab on top. The differentiator here is that there are three sensors built on the side of the can and an illuminated base.
On the side, the Keep It Real Can features a Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensor. This utilizes real polygraph science as it reacts to the user’s sweat gland activity when asked a question. Just as we’ve all seen in movies and TV, when someone is hooked up to a lie detector test, their emotional state reacts, even in the slightest, when asked a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ question. There is also a heart rate sensor built in. This paired with the GSR is able to effectively read any changes in the user when responding.
After being asked the question, the can will light up red if it detects a lie. This will also signal haptics to go off in the can. A green light is illuminated if the truth was registered. A blue light shines in the event that the response is inconclusive or if the user took their fingers off the sensor at any time.
“I used an ESP32 board with Wi-Fi capabilities to give the can the control it needed and the internal structure was designed in Autodesk’s Fusion360” Hugh Elliott, engineer behind the Keep It Real Can tells us. “This provided an accurate way to visualize where and how the components would fit in the can. Once I knew how everything would fit together, I could begin the process of prototyping, design iteration and production. It isn’t solely about the experience but also considering safety and security in the experience.”
To conduct the “tests” the Keep It Real Can is paired with an iOS or Android device. The phone must be paired to the Wi-Fi signal given by the can. From there, users navigate to a web browser interface. Here, the user selects when a question is being asked and answered. This way, the can knows when a question is locked in. There’s a window of time when responses can be accurate. Outside of this, there may be a false positive or negative. Therefore, Elliot and his team worked around this.
“As the world’s first lie detector in a can, it was a priority to make the experience feel seamless. From the moment someone picks up the can, they know to put their fingertips on the sensors. There is little need for instruction. When the person administering the questions asks and receives an answer, it needs to feel like magic for the person answering. That was the primary challenge. To make it easy to experience but feel complex in execution.”
To coincide with the testing of the Keep It Real Can, Simply Spiked Lemonade provided some stats off the heels of National Tell The Truth Day. According to a survey, 39 percent of Canadians over 19 have rejected invites because they “had plans.” The same amount has said “no problem” despite there being a problem. 26 percent have been dishonest about liking a gift. 23 percent of Canadians have lied about someone’s new look. In fact, 51 percent of Canadians over 19 have lied to avoid conflict or to protect someone’s feelings.
The idea for the Keep It Real Can is to keep things light. Simply Spiked Lemonade isn’t here to have someone confess to a crime or infidelity. Instead, I was encouraged to answer lighthearted and fun questions over the few days I tested the can. Answering questions like “Do you sing in the shower?” and “Do you like pineapple on pizza?”
After all the time spent using the Keep It Real Can, I’m still a bit shocked it all works as advertised. The can isn’t making educated guesses. Out of the 20+ questions asked by my friends, I’d say there was one plausible false positive. Though, I was advised that may happen depending on the user’s nerves.
The biggest hurdle I found was using the web landing page. While a necessity to honour the science behind the polygraph test, it was a bit finicky at times. Otherwise, this summertime novelty is really neat. If ever given a chance, it’s great to play around with a group of friends. For Canadians eager to get their hands on the Keep It Real Can, Simply Spiked Lemonade is touring the country with a number of pop-ups coming soon. The Keep It Real Can will be available at the following events:
“During these events, you’ll be able to try Simply Spiked and the Keep It Real Can. Can’t make it? Give your honest review on the Keep It Real Can website by July 15th for a chance to receive $5,000 CAD. More information can be found here.
