metal detectors

If you've ever dropped a small screw or a paperclip onto thick carpet, you know how difficult it can be to find them.

With an Android app called Metal Detector (by Smart Tools), you can turn your Android phone into a metal detector. Using the app might just help you find those small metal objects before you accidentally step on them or before they get sucked up into your vacuum cleaner.

Metal Detector works by measuring the magnetic field around the location of your Android phone. It begins with a baseline measurement, then when it detects a metal, the … Read more

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The Transportation Security Administration has purchased a dozen cameras that use millimeter wave technology and sophisticated algorithms to screen crowds of rapidly moving travelers for weapons from up to 20 meters away.

The SPO threat detection system made by QinetiQ measures waves "naturally emitted by the human body," exposing "cold" objects such as metal, plastic, or ceramics concealed under clothing. A red light on the system's display alerts the operator if you're packing, so there's no need to rely on interpreting images on a screen. It also means no one is ogling your … Read more

In simpler times remote-controlled toys were just meant to have fun--like slot cars without tracks, in a reference for the geezers among us. Today, however, their uses are often more dubious: When they're not trying to cause a heart attack, they're used for spying or shocking and everything evil in between.

So we were relieved to find that there's at least one RC car with a purpose that's actually useful without being nefarious. The "Metal-Detect -Car" is true to its name, with built-in technology that can identify lost or hidden metallic objects while traversing &… Read more

We've seen the robots that mow your lawn, save your life, hit on your girlfriend, make you an omelet, dispense Kleenex, even make abstract artwork--but where are the robots that help make you filthy rich? We found two robot contenders today that should at least pay for themselves over time.

First off, John Corney from Wiltshire, UK, has spent the past seven years perfecting a remote controlled metal detector. Inspired by robotic land-mine sweepers, John adapted a wonderfully selfless and humanitarian idea into something far more personally rewarding. Although he spent approximately $3,800 to develop and build … Read more

If we didn't know better (and we don't), we might think this was based on an old Monty Python skit.

U.K. newspapers are reporting the development of the "Roboglove," a wearable device that can supposedly detect weapons hidden on subjects while they're being searched. If the glove touches a concealed firearm, knife or other metal object, Gearfuse says, it will vibrate and alert its wearer of the discovery.

British police have reportedly been testing the device, which is said to be far more sensitive than standard metal detectors. And the glove is made of … Read more