An introduction to new quantum sensors on the horizon
Posted: September 11, 2026
Not to be confused with quantum computing, quantum sensors use the sub-atomic quantum properties of matter to detect extremely tiny changes in electrical, magnetic and even gravitational fields.
Compared to traditional sensors, they have the potential to be more sensitive, take up much less space, and require very little ongoing calibration. Unlike quantum computing, many quantum sensors are already being put to use on practical applications—in fact, we’ve relied on some of them for decades.
The atomic clock your smartphone is synced to senses time by counting the number of light waves produced in a beam of light that is regulated by the quantum energy levels of atoms of an element like cesium or rubidium. If you’ve ever had MRI imaging done at a hospital, it built up an image of the inside of your body by using a magnet to manipulate a quantum property of your tissues’ protons called, “spin,” then detecting the energy those protons give off.
What are the industrial applications of quantum gravimeters?
Quantum gravimeters detect fluctuations in gravitational fields caused by the mass of everything from ore deposits to wind turbines. One type of quantum gravimeter still under development in the laboratory uses quantum clocks. Because gravitational fields slow down time itself, ultra-sensitive quantum time pieces could detect gravitational fluctuations caused by underground mineral deposits, water or lava flows.
Startups like Atomionics are already using another type of quantum gravimeter—cold atom interferometers —to locate hydrocarbons, mineral resources, and geologic hydrogen underground. Cold atom interferometry makes use of quantum duality: the fact that atoms are both particles and waves. It measures how tiny differences in gravitational fields influence those atomic waves.
Last year, Atomionics and mining company Rio Tinto surveyed rugged terrain in Arizona with a basketball-sized quantum gravimeter mounted in a van. The company reports that exploration was ten times faster and more precise than standard methods. Atomionics is also researching how to use quantum gravimeters mounted on SUVs or drones to map underground geothermal and water resources in addition to hydrocarbons and minerals.
As they become more sensitive, quantum gravimeters could even help map underground infrastructure, like tunnels and pipelines. One day soon, in theory, they could also be used to detect things like the structural integrity of wind turbines, or stress fractures in pipelines, tunnels or dams.
Quantum sensors are also being used for positioning, navigation and timing when global navigation satellite systems, like GPS, aren’t available. Vector Atomic has worked with the U.S. Office of Naval Research to operate a quantum gravimeter autonomously at sea. It compensates for the pitch and roll of the ship and uses atomic interferometry to build a map of tiny fluctuations in the Earth’s gravitational field. That map can be used to navigate without the use of GPS.
What are the industrial applications of quantum magnetometers and accelerometers?
Quantum magnetic sensing has also recently become much more precise—detecting magnetic fields less than one billionth the strength of a refrigerator magnet. So far, these quantum magnetometers have helped doctors measure small electrical currents in brains and hearts, but they could in theory also be used to find the magnetic signature of underground minerals or use the Earth’s magnetic field to help navigate without GPS.
Another kind of quantum magnetometer has already found industrial applications. Nitrogen-vacancy, or NV-center magnetometers use engineered diamonds to detect very weak magnetic fields. They’re being used in “quantum microscopes” to check the quality of microchips.
Scientists are now also exploring using these durable sensors—which can be smaller than a grain of rice—for high-precision, GPS-free navigation. Drones could use sensitive readings to locate themselves on a map of the Earth’s magnetic field. As with quantum gravimeters, some companies are also exploring mounting them on drones to find valuable mineral deposits deep beneath the earth.
What are the industrial applications of quantum LiDAR and single-photon detectors?
Quantum sensors that respond to single particles of light—photons—are also being put to good industrial use. Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) measure the change in electrical current that a single photon creates in a semi-conductor. The augmented reality functions on newer smartphones use SPADs and a laser to measure distances between objects and your phone.
The UK company, QLM, uses SPAD combined with LiDAR to create ultra-sensitive industrial gas detectors. The detector can count the number of gas molecules in the air at distances of around 200 meters, localizing even small methane and carbon dioxide plumes. The company is currently working on an ammonia detector as well.
Conventional LiDAR shoots out laser light and measures how long it takes for the light to get reflected back to build a 3D image of its environment. By using a laser tuned to the spectral absorption of a particular gas and the high sensitivity of the SPAD, QLM’s quantum LiDAR can also locate gas plumes within that image.
Quantum LiDAR
The LiDAR that usually gets called “quantum LiDAR” is different from LiDAR that incorporates SPADs. It uses quantum entangled photons to drastically reduce noise in the LiDAR signal.
When two particles are quantum-entangled, changes to one are instantly mirrored by changes in the other, no matter where it is. Quantum LiDAR creates two groups of photons, with each photon in the first group entangled with another photon in the second group. It shines the first group out in a stream into the environment just like conventional LiDAR, but keeps the second group of entangled photons behind to act as a reference.
Conventional LiDAR has difficulty telling whether any given photon hitting its detector is one from its laser bouncing off an object or another photon coming in from another light source entirely. All those other photons create a lot of noise that obscures the resolution of the LiDAR.
But, with quantum LiDAR, since each photon from its laser has an entangled twin, the sensor can reject data from photons hitting the detector that don’t have an entangled partner in the reference group. While quantum LiDAR is still being developed in the laboratory, last year researchers were able to increase the signal-to-noise ratio to 1,000 times that of conventional LiDAR.
How are quantum sensors being commercialized?
While many quantum sensor technologies are just starting to emerge from the laboratory, they look set to continue advancing toward commercial applications, with both industry and governments investing in the technology.
China’s Houdian Quantum Application Demonstration Substation in Hefei is putting an entire suite of quantum sensors to work monitoring different aspects of its electrical infrastructure. A quantum LiDAR system on the roof monitors weather conditions and quantum magnetometers ensure power towers are aligned correctly. Within the 220-kv substation, quantum diamond magnetometers monitor current fluctuations, and quantum-dot gas sensors check for partial discharge faults to avoid cable fires.
Engineer Tian Teng told the People’s Daily Online, "We have replaced many manual inspection tasks with high-precision quantum sensing equipment. The new system can identify and diagnose equipment defects much faster, reducing both inspection costs and operating expenses."
In the U.S., the University of Colorado at Boulder has received funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation to create what it calls, the “quantum machine shop of the 21st century.” Expected to be fully operational by 2028, the National Quantum Nanofab (NQN) will bring together researchers from academia, government and industry to construct and test new quantum technologies.
As we await these new sensors, McKinsey advises that industry can prepare itself with a good data infrastructure: “Quantum sensors generate large, complex data sets—generating up to ten terabytes per second, according to Kevin Berghoff, CEO of QuantumDiamonds. AI tools could help both users and quantum-sensing experts interpret data and generate insights.”
