{"id":15704,"date":"2024-09-19T14:43:45","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T14:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1410448"},"modified":"2024-09-19T14:43:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T14:43:45","slug":"natos-first-quantum-tech-investment-goes-to-southampton-startup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=15704","title":{"rendered":"NATO\u2019s first quantum tech investment goes to Southampton startup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The NATO Innovation Fund<\/a> (NIF) has announced its first investment in quantum tech, leading a \u20ac5mn seed round. The recipient is Southampton University spinout Aquark Technologies, which has developed a unique quantum<\/a> sensing technology.<\/p>\n

Aquark\u2019s patented cold atom system can be used as an alternative position, navigation, and timing (PNT) device, independent from satellites and thus immune to external tampering such as GPS interference.<\/p>\n

Doing away with the cumbersome magnetic traps<\/h2>\n

Aquark calls itself a miniaturisation company. It specialises in micro-fabrication and vacuum technology. However, what really sets it apart, is that it has found entirely new ways of trapping neutral atoms.<\/p>\n

People usually do this by using what is called a magneto-optical trap (MOT), which uses magnetic fields to manipulate the atoms. During his PhD, one of the company\u2019s co-founders and CEO, Andrei Dragomir, found a way to trap atoms without magnetic fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically we have rolled back time to the 1980\u2019s and sort of branched off saying \u2018hey, there is a better way to do this\u2019,\u201d Alexander Jantzen, co-founder and COO, told TNW. \u201cThis allows us to build systems that are simpler because we don\u2019t need as much control on things like magnetic fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This translates to systems that are smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more energy-efficient than existing ones. They are also more robust, and can be used in difficult terrain including in the air and underwater.<\/p>\n

While Aquark\u2019s technology is applicable to a broad range of quantum areas, the startup has decided to focus on quantum sensing as this is where \u201cthe fastest returns and biggest impact\u201d are to be found at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of the multitude of things you can do with this technology, timing is kind of the most mature market,\u201d Dragomir told TNW. \u201cIt is far from everything we aim to do as a company, but it is a good starting point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dual-use a stepping stone<\/h2>\n

It goes without saying that if NATO is interested, there are defence applications for the technology. But other sectors that can immediately benefit from this kind of infrastructure upgrade include data centres, telecommunications, and financial transactions, which also rely on highly precise location and timing.<\/p>\n

The defence application may previously have caused other funders to hesitate, but this stance seems to have evolved along with the geopolitical climate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started looking for institutional investors, we had a lot of interactions where dual-use was off limits for a lot of them, but that changed in the last year or so,\u201d Dragomir said.<\/p>\n

But the dual-use (applicable for both civilian and military purposes) aspect is only part of a strategy to take the technology further, Jantzen said. \u201cFor us ultimately, there is a civil use case at the end of it that will be driving this. We see a realistic path now from this tech living in labs to actually being in people\u2019s cars and homes, national infrastructure, and everything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Aquark\u2019s tech has not yet made it into our homes, it has escaped the lab and, in a world-first achievement, into a drone in the field. A literal field, as you can see in the video below.<\/p>\n

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