Prototype quantum navigation sensor tested on Royal Navy experiments ship
Imperial's quantum accelerometer offers highly accurate location data by using ultra-cold atoms. (Photo: Imperial College)
A prototype quantum sensor for future navigation – developed by Imperial College London – has been tested onboard the UK RN's research ship XV Patrick Blackett.
The quantum sensor has the potential to offer highly accurate location data in GPS and GNSS-free environments.
The solution, a new type of accelerometer, uses ultra-cold atoms to make highly accurate measurements.
Accelerometers measure how an object's velocity changes over time, this, combined with rotation measurements and the object's initial position, allows a current location to be calculated.
However, these sensors drift over time without checking in with an external reference point such as a satellite, diminishing their accuracy.
When cooled, the atoms take on a quantum nature giving them wave-like properties.
As the atoms move through the sensor, a
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