A new UK startup, Delta g Limited, is building the world’s first commercial gravity gradiometer that a non-specialist can operate with a single button press. Current methods for seeing underground—finding buried pipes, tunnels, or voids—often require destructive digging or are thwarted by vibration and electromagnetic interference. This forces costly site closures and excavations for construction and infrastructure monitoring. The new device uses cold-atom interferometry: it fires lasers at rubidium atoms in a vacuum, measuring tiny changes in how the atoms fall. Those changes reveal local gravitational acceleration, betraying hidden features like tunnels or oil reserves without any digging. If successful, this quantum sensor could transform how we inspect and maintain the infrastructure that quietly keeps society running—roads, pipelines, power cables, and building foundations. Instead of shutting down a city street for weeks to dig for a gas leak, a technician could scan the ground in hours. The project brings together Delta g, engineering consultancy STL, and laser manufacturer NKT Photonics, with scientific support from the University of Birmingham’s Quantum Technology Hub. A panel of industry advisors will set the performance benchmarks the device must meet to move from a proven field prototype into everyday commercial use.
View original technical description
Detecting the world around us has long been a cornerstone of scientific research, with many sensing technologies developed for commercial use rather than purely scientific merit. The ability to view the subterranean environment was limited to destructive exploratory techniques, but in recent years commercial remote sensors have become more widespread. However, nondestructive methods can be severely hindered, ground features can be obscured and vibration or electromagnetic interference can prevent measurements altogether. These issues fundamentally limit the existing technologies for construction and infrastructure monitoring due to costly excavation and site closures which may not be possible. Quantum sensing techniques can overcome these barriers with precision measurements of gravity. Through cold-atom interferometry the quantum nature of a rubidium atom is compared to the phase of a laser beam, detecting very small changes in how the atoms fall freely in a vacuum. These changes can be used to determine the local gravitational acceleration, betraying the location of voids, pipes, tunnels or oil and gas reserves beneath your feet. Recent scientific achievements have proven atom interferometry is an invaluable tool for subsurface detection of features like buried tunnels or pipelines(doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04315-3). The technology to make the step to quantum sensors already exists, and has been proven in the field, however it needs commercial engineering techniques to bring it into everyday use by those without highly specialised training. Delta g Limited, a new quantum start-up in a unique position to take advantage of this second-generation quantum technology, will deliver the world's first commercial single button gravity gradiometer into the hands of end-users. Delta g brings world class expertise in quantum gravity gradiometry for field measurements, with direct links to the QT Hub for Sensors and Timing through the University of Birmingham to provide scientific support. Leaders from multiple industries will be involved as advisors or subcontractors to deliver key project capabilities. STL, an engineering consultancy with experience in bringing deep tech quantum to the commercial sphere, will deliver bespoke software, control and RF capabilities. NKT Photonics, a world leading laser system and component manufacturer, will provide a customised COTS laser engine for the GCC system. At an initial project workshop Delta g will present the results of previous trials, these will then be used as a benchmark and a panel of advisors, from across multiple industrial verticals, will use this to define a set of requirements and success criteria for the project.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know