Students from the University of Michigan could soon be coming to the rescue of American soldiers serving overseas. A group of students are developing a new system of metal detectors that could be used to detect IEDs and suicide bombers in war zones.

The students decided to tackle the problem by seeing what combination of existing technologies worked best together. The trial-and-error process resulted in portable, palm-sized metal detectors that can be hidden in trash cans, under tables or in flower pots.

These detectors report to a main database through a wireless sensor network, telling when the deadly weapons might be entering the zone. This new system uses sensors that are cheaper, lower-power and longer-range. The seven-member team plans to continue to develop the technology and even create a plug-in sensor.

It hopes to commercialize the technology within the next couple of years.

Source: Ashwin Lalendran, 2009 mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke