LawrencetheMDer
Well-known member
I imagine somewhere someone is building an AI based metal detector. Combining AI with metal detectors (AIMD) might/could/will change metal detecting as we know it. The advent of AIMD will be a shock to the field, somewhat similar to when metal detectors first became relatively available post WWII and affordable commercial models swept beaches clean in the 60s and 1970s (right before I started metal detecting, sob, sob). For a great history of metal detecting, read Moreland’s Inside the Metal Detector. But back to the AIMD, everyone would be an “expert” in the use of such simplified machines. Yikes!
AI algorithms are already readily available (e.g., ChatGPT) and these large language models are trained on, basically, all the words on the internet or everything on a particular company’s sales force text database, and even computer code, itself. Theoretically, such algorithms could be trained, not on words, but on parameters specific to the electrical field properties (frequency, phase, amp, etc), at different frequencies of the output of ferrous and nonferrous targets. Training would involve not words but say 10,000 gold rings (specifying weight, size, K, orientation, depth) to train the AIMD on gold rings. Next training would involve, say, various coins, again 1000s of them. Next training would involve pull-tab, then push-tabs, then their various parts. Lets’ not forget those pesky bottle caps, again we’d need 1000s of them. But once trained what a heck of a detector we would have. I imagine that development of the AIMD would also uncover unknown properties or correlates to further differentiate targets not noticed by simple humans.
AIMDs has the potential to differentiate pull tabs and push tabs from gold and silver rings. Imagine no VIDs, no 2-D images, perhaps no screen at all! The AIMD would simply state “gold ring”, “quarter”, “pull-tab”, etc, when the coil went over the target. Unlike the early metal detectors of the 1980s like the Teknetics with metered target IDs “coin”, for example, AIMDs would be deadly accurate, say 99%, ok, 98% and verbally state what was under the coil. For me on the beach, the AIMD might say; "tab, tab, bottle cap, pull tab, nail, aluminum, tab, pre 1982 cent, pull tab, corroded post 1982 cent,.. And, "No gold today you Loser!"
Well, off to hunt. Gotta find those gold rings before someone with an AIMD finds all of them. The availability of AIMDs would cause me to become an “Early Adopter”, first time in my life. Just can’t imagine the price of the early units...
Happy Hunting
AI algorithms are already readily available (e.g., ChatGPT) and these large language models are trained on, basically, all the words on the internet or everything on a particular company’s sales force text database, and even computer code, itself. Theoretically, such algorithms could be trained, not on words, but on parameters specific to the electrical field properties (frequency, phase, amp, etc), at different frequencies of the output of ferrous and nonferrous targets. Training would involve not words but say 10,000 gold rings (specifying weight, size, K, orientation, depth) to train the AIMD on gold rings. Next training would involve, say, various coins, again 1000s of them. Next training would involve pull-tab, then push-tabs, then their various parts. Lets’ not forget those pesky bottle caps, again we’d need 1000s of them. But once trained what a heck of a detector we would have. I imagine that development of the AIMD would also uncover unknown properties or correlates to further differentiate targets not noticed by simple humans.
AIMDs has the potential to differentiate pull tabs and push tabs from gold and silver rings. Imagine no VIDs, no 2-D images, perhaps no screen at all! The AIMD would simply state “gold ring”, “quarter”, “pull-tab”, etc, when the coil went over the target. Unlike the early metal detectors of the 1980s like the Teknetics with metered target IDs “coin”, for example, AIMDs would be deadly accurate, say 99%, ok, 98% and verbally state what was under the coil. For me on the beach, the AIMD might say; "tab, tab, bottle cap, pull tab, nail, aluminum, tab, pre 1982 cent, pull tab, corroded post 1982 cent,.. And, "No gold today you Loser!"
Well, off to hunt. Gotta find those gold rings before someone with an AIMD finds all of them. The availability of AIMDs would cause me to become an “Early Adopter”, first time in my life. Just can’t imagine the price of the early units...
Happy Hunting