Zero Point Motion’s high performance inertial sensors are chipscale, low-noise and affordable. Our Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) look the same as standard chips used in drones, cars and robots, but brings a 100x performance improvement that has so far been inaccessible for mass volume markets. We use a cutting-edge technology called cavity optomechanics that exploits the sensitive relationship between laser light and motion, which results in lower noise than existing methods. Our IMUs will be the world's 1st commercial optomechanical inertial sensors with 100x lower noise than existing solutions in the market. With our IMUs, drones will be able to fly autonomously underground to survey tunnels, AR/VR motion capture will be even more immersive, and navigating inside buildings will become possible. Moreover, our sensors enable sub-millimeter positioning accuracy and allow for over 5x longer duration of navigation without GPS due to the reduced noise that results in slower buildup of errors over time.

Zero Point Motion (ZPM) develops ultra sensitive chipscale devices to measure acceleration and rate of rotation of moving objects. These inertial sensors are 100x more sensitive than existing ones inside cars today because we use light instead of a noisy electrical readout, enabling our sensors to measure smaller motions without becoming larger in size or more expensive. Our sensors can improve the performance, safety and resilience of driverless cars because inertial sensors work anywhere, anytime. Currently, autonomous navigation relies on external reference signals from satellites (e.g. GPS), LIDAR/RADAR or cameras. However, all these external references output data at 10-100x lower rates than inertial sensors, and their signals can be spoofed, jammed or denied, for example, GPS is not available underground or in tunnels and is a weak signal prone to interference, whereas LIDAR/RADAR and cameras require huge computational processing powers to stitch together images which can fail if false objects are tracked or if there are no prominent features. Autonomous vehicles cannot reach Level 5 full autonomy using a single sensor solution, but instead, a multitude of inputs that are fused together (sensor fusion) such that LIDAR/RADAR and cameras enable obstacle tracking and avoidance, satellite navigation provides an absolute position relative to the Earth, and inertial sensors measure the car dynamics. Improving the inertial sensors is therefore critical to guarantee traceable decision making, as they provide measurements and not 'black box' software or AI/machine learning interpretations of static LIDAR/RADAR/camera data. To prepare our sensors for automotive certification, we will use standard packaging practices known to satisfy regulatory testing and begin our quality assurance process, running tests defined by the AEC-Q100 certification. Our partner WAE will conduct testing on motorsport platforms, exposing our sensor to real-world extreme dynamics and conditions. To verify how the inertial sensor sits within the navigation stack and the safety or mission critical role it plays compared to external references, our partner UWE will conduct independent research on integrity and resilience using their expertise on autonomous vehicles. We will work with our partner the Royal Institute of Navigation to ensure our IMUs and UWE's research is visible to the UK CAM hardware supply chain by holding two events involving academic and industry leaders in autonomous navigation, and to encourage debate and discussion on topics around sensor fusion, safety, resilience and the UK's position. These events are opportunities to generate new insights and collaborations between interested stakeholders.

Zero Point Motion is a start-up commercialising a new disruptive type of inertial sensor that uses photonics to achieve ultra-low noise tracking of motion, improving positioning accuracy by over 100x compared to existing sensors inside smartphones, cars or game controllers. With additional sensitivity, our sensors enhance the ability to track complex and fine motion such as finger motion, enabling new interactions between user and AR/VR applications. An exciting and profound outcome of the sensitivity of our accelerometers is exploring the ability to detect the motion of the body as it recoils from the heart ejecting blood. This is known as ballistocardiography and provides measurements of both heart rate, as well as heart function. With the improved sensitivity offered by our sensors, this project looks at tracking the motion of a single finger whilst simultaneously performing ballistocardiography with an armband or insole through simple initial demonstrations. For example, measuring the response to different choices presented on a screen or in VR, synchronised by the selected options through finger gestures. Basic puzzles that involve finger tracing can be used alongside the ballistocardiogram to understand game play and excitement. By providing early access of our sensor prototypes to our collaborators UWE and x-io, we strengthen our proof-of-concept by accessing deep expertise in the application of sensors for embedded systems, VR/AR, motion capture for biomechanics and wireless data logging. UWE has a world-class track record in intelligent systems, machine vision, and bio-sensing, with state of the art facilities in the AR/VR domain. This is a unique opportunity to become leaders in an emerging bioengineering market that has already produced ultrasonic sensors for hand-based interactions to infer emotional wellbeing. Unlike ultrasonic devices, our sensors are more capable of tracking 3D motions, and adding untapped information through ballistocardiography with additional resolution. Upon completion of this initial industrial research, we can then initiate or inspire deeper studies with industry end-users such as content creators, and invite critical experts in bioengineering and psychology who can quantify the link between the physiological behaviour we detect through ballistocardiography with human emotion and immersion.

Zero Point Motion creates tiny chips that use optical resonances to detect motion and rotation. Our goal is to improve positioning, stabilisation and navigation by bringing the performance of space and defence grade sensors to industrial and consumer applications. We create our optomechanical devices by combining high volume compatible mechanical chip structures with silicon photonic integrated circuits. Existing sensors like the ones inside your smartphone and car, use a noisy electrical readout which is prone to drift, meaning the sensitivity is poor and the accuracy degrades over time. We improve the noise floor dramatically by using optical resonances that are coupled to mechanical motion, which also resonantly enhances our detection scheme compared to measurements where the motion is only blocking the path of light. The power of optomechanics is best demonstrated by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave observatory, which is now the most sensitive human-made motion detector in the universe. I'm Lia, I'm the Founder of Zero Point Motion and also the inventor of our technology. The company is the culmination of my entire life's research and the opportunities I have been lucky to pursue as a woman of colour; from building lasers at Imperial College, to fabricating sensor chips at BAE Systems, to developing classical and quantum optomechanical systems at University College London. My founding team comprises UK chip entrepreneurs Dr Gordon Aspin and Pascal Herczog, seasoned semiconductor experts who have scaled startups to exit and IPO. Alongside funding the development of an integration process for our sensors that will accelerate our time-to-market, the Women in Innovation award also provides mentorship and publicity. This is important because time-to-market is lengthy for chip companies, with large investment rounds required (£20-50M) and no roadmap to follow as there has never been a high volume (100's millions of units shipped per year) inertial sensor company in the UK. However, our vision is to scale to over 100M units/year, potentially generating billion dollar revenues and creating 50+ jobs, which makes our proposition highly desirable and worth striving for. I'm excited to find mentorship to manage the transition from prototyping to production, to understand how to grow our IP portfolio, and to increase customer engagement.