"Necessity breeds innovation" is a saying for a reason and few examples of technological advances are better encapsulated than how the U.S. military used toasters attached to poles to help them detect IEDs during the Iraq. 

In short, IEDs were incredibly hard to detect during the Iraq war, and infantrymen were on the frontline devices and ingenious DIY solutions to detecting these IEDs that used infrared technology (heat) to trigger their blasts. 

According to the stories, one service member went to a local bazaar and bought himself a toaster, which he then attached to a pole and plugged into his Humvee. The heat from the toaster would then trigger the infrared IEDs and viola, IED detection tech had been revolutionized. 

Now, Rhinos are common practice for militaries and have helped save countless lives.