Next Generation Remote-Sensing Technologies

A consortium of Thales UK, Kelvin Nanotechnology, Sentinel Photonics, and the University of Glasgow is building the core components for a new generation of remote-sensing equipment—from uncooled infrared detectors to high-definition imagers and advanced laser sensors. Remote sensing is how machines see and measure the world without touching it: scanning pipelines for leaks, monitoring crops from drones, or guiding autonomous vehicles through fog. Current sensors are often bulky, power-hungry, or limited in resolution. This project tackles those bottlenecks by developing fundamental technological building blocks—the detectors, imagers, and processing methods—that could make future sensors smaller, cheaper, and more capable. If the technologies work, the consortium expects significant follow-on investment and the creation of dozens of skilled STEM jobs and apprenticeships in the Govan and Glasgow supply chain. The domestic and international market for advanced sensors is large, and success would position the local economy to capture a share of it. The research is applied and commercially driven, with a clear roadmap from lab prototype to manufactured product.