Attention Metal Detector Manufacturers - The Future Design

[Chiltepin]

First off I am a retired IT Director, I spent many years publicly speaking to end users
about emerging technologies. One was before the smart phone, explaining that it
was easier to make a computer emulate a phone than to put a computer inside a phone.
Those were the days of the Palm treo , and Microsoft made the Pocket PC.

Here we go. "The Revolutionary Concept"

Make a metal detector that you "Dock a Smartphone onto.

Hire some coders to make an application for a smartphone /metal detector to take advantage
of the "Computing" power of current phones. Modern day smartphones have a touchscreen,
are water proof (or can be water proofed using a case), GPS, headphone jack, internal batteries.
Voice commands, Voice prompts, etc

Imagine a hobbyist being able to pin a GPS location on your Metal detecting software map in
your application.

Smartphones do have a disadvantage, the 2 different connector standards.
Apples- Lightning connector
and the standard Usb C 3.0 connector

You will open the industry up to more "New Hobbyist" to the metal detecting hobby sales,
as stated almost everyone has a smartphone.

Get rid of the "Cables" make "Snap on" coils. Hobbyist would rave for "quick changes in the field" of
coils and reduce the risk of damaging cables and connectors.

The biggest benefit would be profit , and we know you already make a nice profit.
Software updates are easier to roll out on the network. Fewer components to
manufacture.

Its going to cost you on the R& D side, but would open up more benefits than pitfalls.

It's a Win /Win for the hobbyist and your companies.

Take a look at the Toyota FT-4X concept - yes that's a smartphone docked on the dash.


Thank you,

If anyone has anything else they would like to see please chime in.

 

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[RustyGold]

My guess is the smartphones would need a longer battery life as well. Snap on coils I could see being easily broke with some of the more hardcore users.
Seems like you described the Deus with the quick change Coil. If only I could use that expensive remote as a phone.
Cool idea if the detecting app was cheap..

 

[Chiltepin]

My guess is the smartphones would need a longer battery life as well. Snap on coils I could see being easily broke with some of the more hardcore users.
Seems like you described the Deus with the quick change Coil. If only I could use that expensive remote as a phone.
Cool idea if the detecting app was cheap..

The app would be proprietary and would be FREE, the cost of the machine would cover the App cost.

Don't people already break coil mounts?

The addition of an extended battery capacity is easily solved.

Ever hear of Augmented Reality? You could see the objects shape
overlaid on the screen using the camera.

 

[RustyGold]

The app would be proprietary and would be FREE, the cost of the machine would cover the App cost.

Don't people already break coil mounts?

The addition of an extended battery capacity is easily solved.

Ever hear of Augmented Reality? You could see the objects shape
overlaid on the screen using the camera.

I've not only heard of it I've experienced it.
Yes people do break Coil mounts. My thoughts they may do it more.

 

[cudamark]

Somehow I just don't see what a smart phone would add to a metal detector. Just about all the features you mentioned are already available on some detectors. Look at the features of Minelab's CTX and XT's Deus for example. Each new model coming out will have more and more of these options as standard equipment.

 

[Obsessive]

I want a wireless AR heads up display. Basically a pair of (preferrably polarized) glasses with all necessary information shown on the inside of the lens. Mostly because it hurts my neck to look down for hours on end.

 

[Chiltepin]

Somehow I just don't see what a smart phone would add to a metal detector. Just about all the features you mentioned are already available on some detectors. Look at the features of Minelab's CTX and XT's Deus for example. Each new model coming out will have more and more of these options as standard equipment.

Your not adding to the metal detector your replacing components that you now don't have to manufacture with a lot better interface and endless program-ability.

Yea why buy a watch, or a calculator when other companies integrated those things into one electronic device. Apple hardware was proprietary at one time, oh yea now they use standard pc hardware.
Toyota removed the ECU box from under the seat and integrated all the components into the cars Infotainment/Radio in the dash. Why change those things?

Obsessive, Now your thinking check out Microsofts Hololens.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens

 

[Terry Soloman]

Basically just turning the XP Deus into a phone as well. It's being done, but... $8,900.00 is a lot of money retail, which REALLY limits the market right now.

 

[Chiltepin]

Basically just turning the XP Deus into a phone as well. It's being done, but... $8,900.00 is a lot of money retail, which REALLY limits the market right now.

You cut that cost down quite a bit when the Hobbyist supplies the main components, Its not turning a metal detector into a phone. Its a computer emulating a metal detector through software.

 

[Slingshot]

Instead of snap on coils, somebody needs to replicate the Teknetics 9000 coil that had 3 different sized coils in one head and you chose the coil size you wanted with a switch on the main box.

 

[Chiltepin]

I made this statement and conference in front of 400 attendees.
" It is easier to make a computer emulate a phone than to put a computer inside a phone"
This is what I was holding and showing at that 2003 conference.
Toshiba Pocket PC 2002 $399


4 years later Apple debuts this Iphone Gen 1. I didn't predict the iphone I was showing
the attendees where technology was heading.
Iphone Generation 1 2007$499/4GB, $599/8GB


Notice the bottom buttons on the pocket PC
they correspond with present day phone soft buttons.

 

[Goldfinger450]

Good Ideas Chiltepin, I have been waiting for the Next big revolution in Detectors, there has to be one right around the corner. The Outlay of Megga Bucks for a detector has me holding off and will probably spend 500-$800 for my first newer one this decade. Sure enough if I were to outlay Big$ the newest thing will pop out into detector world.

 

[seekerGH]

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/deus/527188-minelab-sues-deus.html

 

[Peyton Manning]

don't forget a gyroscopic beer holder ( I detest shaken beer)

 

[Chiltepin]

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/deus/527188-minelab-sues-deus.html

Your not seeing the trees through the forest. A smartphone(mobile computer) isn't a metal detector. It stores data
By default. It runs software to make a metal detector work and uses memory by default.
All metal detectors have stored data its called a Rom chip.

 

[Chiltepin]

don't forget a gyroscopic beer holder ( I detest shaken beer)

I'm pretty sure your the guy that wears that 6 pack hat with a hose like a Boss! Jefe

 

[Chiltepin]

Interesting find on youtube - Turkish



Here is a Link for a GPS tracking and mapping app for Android.

http://historyhunters.co.uk/tectotrak

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Somehow I just don't see what a smart phone would add to a metal detector. Just about all the features you mentioned are already available on some detectors. ...

Well put. Everything chiltepin mused is just a function of "faster and smaller". Or "whistles and bells". It's not actually adding anything more to detecting technology. Ie.: the ability of the machine to ID an object, or go deeper, or see through more iron, etc.....

 

[TheHunterGT]

I don't see it happening any time soon. Many participants in this hobby use an older Android or IOS phone that is not running the latest version. The MD manufacturers would need stay on top of multiple versions of phones and operating system updates to make sure no user was alienated.

Oh look...my phone just updated to X version...now my detector does not work until the MD company updates to the latest version as well.

I would not think it was an avenue they would want to investigate - seeing as how many detectors are still using grey LCD setups - yet alone touch screens with updates.

 

[Keppy]

I don't see it happening any time soon. Many participants in this hobby use an older Android or IOS phone that is not running the latest version. The MD manufacturers would need stay on top of multiple versions of phones and operating system updates to make sure no user was alienated.

Oh look...my phone just updated to X version...now my detector does not work until the MD company updates to the latest version as well.

I would not think it was an avenue they would want to investigate - seeing as how many detectors are still using grey LCD setups - yet alone touch screens with updates.

Yes that would leave a lot of us out for a great many of us still use a flip phone .. So bad idea....So TheHunterGT you are right..