Presumably a Terran-made device, the mind scanner is used to prove the validity of a subject's answers. The scanner itself is large and bulky. A large computer station affixed to a restraining chair comprises the main part of it. The subject is locked into the chair and then a bar is lowered over his chest and a helmet over his head. When the scanner is activated, it scans the subject's mind and then generates a holographic representation of his or her thoughts. The process is painful, making it utterly impossible to hide anything from the scanner. However, a mind scanner cannot be used on a Neo-Sapian due to differences in brain structure. This fact Marsala no doubt had in mind when he pretended to betray Able Squad on Mars.