Did you know? 🔍 The modern metal detector

The modern metal detector was invented in the 1920s by engineer Gerhard Fischer. 🎩✨

While working on aircraft navigation equipment, Fischer noticed that radio signals were disrupted by metal objects in the ground. Inspired by this discovery, he developed a device that could locate these objects: the first handheld metal detector, patented in 1931, The Metallascope, aka the M-Scope! ⚙️

Since then, the technology has evolved, but the principle remains the same. This brilliant inventor literally paved the way for the metal detection enthusiasts that we are today. Whether for searching for buried treasures or for pollution control, the metal detector has become an indispensable tool.

💬 Did you know that this device was originally used for scientific research?

📚 Sources:

Fisher Research Labs: https://fisher-impulse.com/about/

Smithsonian Institution: https://www.si.edu/object/trade-catalogs-fisher-research-laboratories-inc:SILNMAHTL_15161

📸 Illustration:

Gerhard R. Fisher using his M-Scope to locate underground pipes in Palo Alto when the University Avenue underpass was built under the railroad tracks, 1939.

License: https://historysanjose.catalogaccess.com/photos/68731