Scientists in this northern Italian city have developed a new lie-detector that they say is virtually fib-proof.
Tests on the device, which is at an advanced experimental stage, suggest it is accurate in 90-93% of cases.
This would be a massive improvement on the accuracy rates of conventional polygraphs, which the University of Padua team put at around 80%.
If the results are confirmed, the breakthrough could open up new avenues for the use of lie-detectors in crime fighting.
Polygraphs are not widely used by European police forces and prosecutors because they are not considered accurate enough.
They are more commonly used in the United States, although defendants and witnesses in criminal trials cannot be forced to take a polygraph test if they do not want to.
The new machine was designed by University of Padua Professor Giuseppe Sartori.
He is keeping the details of how it works secret for the time being.
But he has revealed that it detects lies primarily by measuring the time it takes a person to react to a question and then to reply to it.
Conventional polygraphs work by measuring physiological variables such as blood pressure, pulse and respiration while the subject is asked questions.
These measurements give an idea of the subject's level of anxiety, which is usually high when a person tells a lie.
However, polygraph results can be unreliable if a person is anxious for other reasons, or is able to control their anxiety level while lying.
Sartori, a professor of clinical psychology and neuroscience, is now going to test the machine on volunteer convicted criminals.
These volunteers include murderers and rapists serving time at a local psychiatric hospital prison.
As well as further testing the accuracy of the machine, these experiments will also serve to provide a body of data for future testers on how best to use it.
