Trying to accurately detect a bomb is a serious thing. It seems that there are moments where the equipment is perhaps, not up to the standard that you would expect when you were doing this rather delicate job.

Take a model of bomb detector known as the ADE 651. Its name makes it sound as if it would be a rather impressive piece of equipment, as it sounds official enough. Sadly, you need more than just a name for it to make a difference when it comes to the job that it is intended for.

Basically, it consisted of a metal rod with a plastic hinge and nothing else. However, even though it looked as if it had been made in a garden shed, it was still used in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan to uncover mines.

This lasted for several years, until it was finally discovered by the groups that were using this instrument that it actually did nothing at all to help them find bombs. The surprising thing is that it took them that long to go ahead and discover this.