History of Metal Detectors

The first metal detector was built by Alexander Graham Bell in the year 1881. After the assassination of President Garfield, Bell was summoned to invent a way to detect where the faulty bullet landed. Though his attempts to find the bullet were in vain, Bell was successful to invent the first crude metal detector.

To achieve this, Bell had to study many concepts previously stated by other scientists. What finally set Bell into inventing the metal detector was a previous experience he had had while using a previous invention of him, he could hear that as some objects drew nearer, certain sounds could be heard. He, at first, found no use for such discovery; but when asked to find the bullet, he used this concept to create the first metal detector which he named "The Induction Balance".

Shortly after this invention, others; more notoriously Gerhard Fischar, began to apply Bell's concept to make commercial metal detectors. In the year 1931, Gerhard was finally able to successfully commercialize metal detection for the general public.

Ever since, metal detection has improved notoriously. As an example, the Germans during the Second World War were successful in improving metal detection to detect hidden mines. More recent is the discovery of underwater metal detection which is discussed fully in another article.

As it can be noted, metal detection has gone a long way since its discovery in the late XIX century and it is likely to improve even more and become even more powerful.