Modular Metal Detector
The detection side of the stack: a modular, phone-controlled metal detector with real-time signal visualization, GPS-tagged target logging, and coils that can be swapped in the field.
Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Phone (iOS/Android/Tablet) │
│ │
│ PWA Interface: │
│ • Real-time signal display │
│ • Heatmap visualization │
│ • GPS tracking & waypoints │
│ • Camera for finds │
│ • Haptic feedback │
│ • Audio tones │
└──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
│ WiFi/HTTP/WebSocket
┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
│ LattePanda IOTA (Backpack) │
│ │
│ Intel N150: │
│ • Flask web server + WebSocket │
│ • SQLite database │
│ • WiFi 6E hotspot (field mode) │
│ • Optional: RTK GPS, Modbus TCP │
│ │
│ RP2040 Coprocessor: │
│ • Serial bridge or ESP-NOW receiver │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
A wearable backpack runs a LattePanda IOTA that serves a PWA to the operator’s phone over WiFi. The phone becomes the control surface — real-time signal display, heatmap, GPS tracking, camera, haptics — while the backpack handles signal processing, logging, and the detector coils themselves.
Why this design
Decoupling the UI (phone) from the detector (backpack) means the operator carries nothing in-hand, the interface can be upgraded independently of the hardware, and the same backpack can feed data to the rover platform when mounted on it.