Silurum

A prototype quantum gyroscope small enough to fit inside a vehicle will be built and tested over 18 months, using spinning atoms to replace mechanical sensors. Today’s inertial navigation systems—which guide planes, drones, and rescue vehicles when GPS signals are jammed or absent—drift over time. A standard gyroscope might lose accuracy by several kilometres after an hour of flight. The Silurum project, led by Microchip, aims to shrink a laboratory-grade atomic spin gyroscope into a rugged, manufacturable device. It uses co-magnetometers, where two atomic species spin in opposite directions, to cancel magnetic noise and measure rotation with far greater precision than current micro-electromechanical sensors. If successful, the prototype will be the first fully integrated atomic gyroscope built in a UK supply chain capable of volume production. For autonomous vehicles operating in tunnels, for military aircraft under electronic warfare, or for search-and-rescue teams in remote terrain, this could mean navigation that stays accurate for hours without a satellite fix. The project does not claim to solve all drift—but it moves a quantum sensor from the optics bench toward a sealed, flight-ready package.