Metal Detectors in the future - A prediction thread

[Deft Tones]

It seems to me that in the future single frequency output machines will have to go by the wayside. I see a future where any machine that transmits and recieves one frequency only, even the selectable machines, they will become nearly obsolete and dirt cheap by our standards today. I don't know how long this will take but I'm thinking 15 to 25 years, maybe less.

Anyone see a future for these current type of metal detectors other than the entry market?

I was imagining starting out 30-40 years ago and imagining then what would the future (today) might hold for us. Are any of the old veterans surprised where things have ended up today? Have you been impressed?

Hmmmmm....

 

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[vesa]

This is my kind of speculation so I will participate.

Aerial and underwater drones with coils connected to a controller/tablet that allows you to set search parameters. For example you select an area in a field and drone with a large coil that is almost ground level maps the interesting signals in the search area and the data is saved for further analysis. Increasingly drones have obstacle avoidance and sensors these days so I wouldn't be surprised to see them used in a forest area with a lot of trees too. (yeah this is out there and isn't likely to happen soon..)

So, you expect millennials to detect and map an area and then delay gratification until they can come back later to recover the likely targets? Even us Boomers have a problem with that!

Not really, I'm not expecting anyone to make it in 20 years time. But let's say someone does this thing: It will probably be autonomous so while it is mapping that field for you, you can have your main detector out and start work. By the time the drone has finished its run you can see the "hot spots" on your tablet and move onto them and get that even more instant gratification. And there are already drones that can fly in harsh conditions, DJI just announced one (M200) that can have multiple cameras either on the bottom or on top. You can have FLIR and zoom cameras already, so they're already a bit more interesting for locating possible hunting sites.

 

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[Rick K]

Signal into ground - return signal from ground matrix and possible targets - extremely low signal to noise ratio. Do all this from a drone - oh yes - add centimeter accuracy GPS location.

good luck with that.

 

[Rawhide]

My prediction is its fun and you can actually find things you can sell, so the govt bans it and sends it to china.

 

[SD51]

I wish I could find the advertisement from an old Western and Eastern Treasure magazine from the late 70's or early 80's that showed a device that was most likely intended to amplify the halo created around buried coins to make them more easily detected. I think it was marketed by Compass. It consisted of metallic rods that were wired to a control box. The rods were pushed into the ground and electrical signals were passed between the rods. Kind of reminded me of a similar device that is used by people to harvest night crawlers (fishing worms) at night. The electrical signal causes the worms to come to the surface making them easy to harvest.

I don't think this new system caught on because the ad wasn't in the magazine for very long. Back then, every company (just like today) was doing anything they could to get more depth from their detectors.

 

[sprailroad]

I'm a simple guy, what I would like is a FBS (as in minelab) for general detecting and being somewhat more stable on saltwater beaches, with the option of switching to one of four single freq's. (as in a Deus) for more specific hunting, say like 3khz for copper/silver/brass. Now that would be very nice. As for all the rest? Way over my head, I'll stay out of it.

 

[vesa]

Signal into ground - return signal from ground matrix and possible targets - extremely low signal to noise ratio. Do all this from a drone - oh yes - add centimeter accuracy GPS location.

good luck with that.

You joke here, but film production drones have already got that GPS accuracy. Obviously having a coil on a aerial drone is very hard from any point of view and it would be better to use a drone that moves on land. The main problem I see is exactly the coil having to be close to earth, which in turn makes the wind tiliting and destroying your drone despite the sensors very likely.

I suppose that I should clarify here. I'm not thinking that this would be anything sane and that it would/should happen, I just figured it was an outlandish but not completely impossible idea and its fun to come up with those. Rather I'm more fond of the small folding metal detector that is waterproof and effective. That's what I want there and it is actually possible to do with current tech too.

 

[diggingthe1]

A drone detector for silver at the beaches doesn't seem to far off.

 

[signal_line]

Sorry if i repeat. Just saw this thread and have not read the posts.

How about a metal detector on it's lowest power setting that can find a gold coin in a pile of junk from one-hundred feet away and be within a few inches? Oh, wait a minute--this thread is about the future.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I'm a simple guy, what I would like is a FBS (as in minelab) for general detecting and being somewhat more stable on saltwater beaches, with the option of switching to one of four single freq's. (as in a Deus) for more specific hunting, say like 3khz for copper/silver/brass. Now that would be very nice. As for all the rest? Way over my head, I'll stay out of it.

Sparilroad: In which case you wouldn't be having any new technology. Only combined technology. You couldn't do anything that you can't ALREADY do (albeit by carrying around 2 machines). So you'd essentially just be having "whistles and bells", not new tech.

 

[Deft Tones]

Anybody ever use a Kirby vacuum model G3 or newer?

This brand household vac is built like a tank, very powerful and heavy. Starting with model G3 (you can see the prototype in the 80's Michael Keaton movie 'Mr. Mom') Kirby engineers developed a power assisted drive train which makes it feel light as a feather while pushing it around. Feels like a totally new machine with all the power and durability retained.

Now days we have Roombas that were designed to do light duty surface cleaning mostly on its own.

Think Kirby isn't working on an answer for the future?

If a droid were incorporated it could be programmed to run any number of patterns, or perhaps be manually operated remotely. The droid would be the brawn carrying all the power supply needed for the next big breakthrough in detecting technology. We'd just walk behind it and dig. Sure, droid use might be limited to open fields and beaches at first, but that too will be overcome by droids with lazers zapping rocks and vegetation out of the way.

Then eventually sonic fracking will be developed, then coins and rings will become ejected from the earth to be simply collected by another droid while I slurp coffee on the holodeck.

 

[Goldfleks]

Signal into ground - return signal from ground matrix and possible targets - extremely low signal to noise ratio. Do all this from a drone - oh yes - add centimeter accuracy GPS location.

good luck with that.

You're thinking too much. Let start small.

Let's say you combine something like the DuesXP where the brain is built into the coil. Or it could be built into the body of the detector drone. The drone can grid out a 100'x100' area. Let's go low tech at this point. As the drone flies its grid pattern it simply indicates a target with a 1' or so range of where the target is. Just a general area. This target data plus typical VDI information that we are used to getting gets uploaded and the targets pinged out over a google map of the area.

Now you can look at that areas recon and decide where to start swinging your coil for more accurate data.

Maybe you just want to cherry pick quarters out of a park. So your drone scouts the field for you and you dig behind it. It's not 100% accurate, we can all agree on this. But it's accurate enough that you can dig the strong signals, pinpoint them with your hand held unit and just quickly walk from section to section chasing the stronger signals. Instead of spending all your time gridding out an area. The Drone keeps searching, even while you're digging.

To start this tech would probably only work in open parks and fields, but as obsticle detection software improves, migrating into heavier traffic areas is more likely.

 

[Deft Tones]

https://www.wired.com/2013/01/new-metamaterial-camera/

This thing detects metals. Uses microwaves, no moving parts, cheap to build! FTA-

“As a replacement to an airport scanner — you can just walk right past it,” Hunt said. “No more long lines.” And that’s just one idea. Adapting the system differently could yield a quicker baggage scanner. Embedding a microwave-detecting camera in the front of self-driving cars could help vehicles navigate scene-obscuring snow, rain, and fog. Embedding one in the wing of an airplane with one would eliminate the need for space-consuming radar imagers. Designing a hand-held, metal-detecting device could produce the ultimate stud-finder1