Quantum sensing is one of the most exciting innovations of recent years. It enables high-precision measurements and heralds a new era for the entire field of metrology. Until now, however, quantum measurements have required large set-ups. Quantum Technologies, a start-up company based in Leipzig, Germany, has developed a compact magnetic field sensor that offers a groundbreaking alternative. This sensor is the first of its kind that is both compact and user-friendly enough to be used in industry.
But what are the special features of the magnetometer? What does it have to do with an electric guitar? And how can it be used in industry? In an interview with Tobias Wölk, Product Manager for Automation & Active Components, and Robert Staacke, Founder of Quantum Technologies, we invite you to take a look behind the scenes of the product development of the quantum sensor.
The interview
Robert Staacke is managing director of Quantum Technologies, a small start-up with four employees. As well as running the young company, Staacke is also the “jack of all trades”: product developer, marketing team, laser safety officer. He wipes down the lab tables and always keeps an eye on things.
Wölk: What questions and problems are you currently dealing with in your work?
Staacke: My main task is to find applications for customers. There are so many ways to use our sensor. We have to communicate these possibilities to the right people in the industry.
Wölk: And what do you enjoy most about your job?
Staacke: It’s so varied. What I enjoy most is discussing possible applications with customers and potential customers. Again and again, you see how diverse the applications are and from which fields the interested parties come: be it high voltage, material testing or even an enquiry about use in avalanche backpacks.
Wie es zur Idee des Quantensensors kam
Wölk: Although quantum technology began with Max Planck’s research at the beginning of the 20th century, it has only really made its breakthrough in the last 30 years and is therefore still relatively new. When did you first come into contact with quantum technology?
Staacke: It was during my studies. I did my bachelor’s degree in semiconductor physics, but that was a bit too boring for me. That’s why I switched to solid-state nuclear physics. That’s where I first learned about diamonds and quantum technology. It really inspired me! I then did my master’s thesis in sensor technology with Professor Meyer. He also supervised my Ph.D. thesis, which set the ball rolling for Quantum Technologies.
Wölk: What was the subject of your thesis?
Staacke: I wrote my thesis on “NV Centres (Nitrogen Vacancy Centres) in Diamond” – the concept on which our current sensors are based. During this time, I realised that this was not only an interesting scientific theory, but that it was also suitable for practical application.
Wölk: How did you come up with this idea?
Staacke: It was a funny story – actually a coincidence. Shortly after Christmas, Professor Meyer brought us a bass guitar that his son had received as a present. He asked if we could build a pickup for it using diamond sensor technology. It was a crazy idea, but then we thought about it and realised it wasn’t so crazy after all. So we set up an experiment. And that turned out to be our magnetometer. A funny idea turned into something really useful.
Wölk: What a story! Did you immediately have the feeling that this could be a special product?
Staacke: No, it only developed during the research work. As a PhD student in physics, you don’t have that much insight into the market. But it soon became clear that the type of quantum sensor we wanted to develop did not yet exist. Previously, these measurements could only be made using laboratory setups that could never be used in industry because they were too large and too complex.
The big challenge: industrial suitability
Wölk: So that was your biggest challenge? To make the product as small and simple as possible?
Staacke: Exactly! From the very beginning, our goal – and our biggest challenge – was to develop an industrial product for the mass market. The premise was therefore to make the sensor as small and simple as possible. When we started our research, it was common to see a setup the size of a dining table – full of expensive and very complex optical components. So we had to work out what could be left out and simplified when there was such complicated physics going on in the sensor. We also had to make sure that the technology we were using could be manufactured in large quantities.
Wölk: I find this approach to scalability very interesting because it increases the range of possible applications enormously. You can not only use the sensor in quality control or in production, but you also open up the possibility of using it in the end product. An avalanche backpack may have been an extreme example, but you can imagine it being used in electric motors.
Staacke: Exactly, in principle it doesn’t do anybody any good if you have to strap a whole table to your back or the whole car is packed with lasers and other components just to get some kind of measurement. It has to make sense and provide real value to the user. Size is an important factor here – also in the purchase decision.
Wölk: Was there a milestone in the development that you were particularly proud of?
Staacke: Yes, when we managed to get the diamond material onto the glass fibre. That was the biggest step that brought us the most progress.
Wölk: What does this mean for the sensor?
Staacke: It means that our product is galvanically isolated and works purely optically. Our diamond only sits on the tip of the glass fibre. That doesn’t exist yet. This means that you can take measurements directly in a motor or even in a generator, for example in the air gap, where you would otherwise not be able to reach.
Wölk: It sounds like you have achieved your first goal. What is the biggest success for you?
Staacke: Winning the AMA Innovation Award at this year’s Sensor + Test.
Wölk: You also beat established industry giants, didn’t you?
Staacke: Yes, as a small start-up that’s especially nice – which doesn’t mean that we didn’t want to give it to our big competitors.
Wölk: But it speaks for your idea.
Staacke: Yes. The jury was made up of a wide range of people from sensor technology and industry. The fact that quantum sensor technology is recognised and appreciated in this circle means a lot to us.
Is German industry ready for quantum sensors?
Wölk: So you convinced the jury of experts. What do you think is important for the magnetometer to be accepted by a wide range of industrial companies?Staacke: The most important thing is that the user does not have to think about the quantum-mechanical physics behind it, but can simply use the sensor. The user gets the measurements he needs and can work with them immediately. You don’t need to be familiar with quantum physics to use the sensor.
Wölk: You probably also take away the fear of dealing with quantum technology.
Staacke: Yes, the product is ultimately very easy to use – even if the technology behind it is complicated.
Wölk: So nothing stands in the way of large-scale industrial use. Is that your vision for the sensor?
Staacke: Exactly. That is our goal, especially in the long term. In some areas, the sensor could even be used across the board, for example in the energy sector, which is currently undergoing radical change. For example, our magnetometer could be used to monitor wind turbines, which is currently a big topic for the future.
Wölk: Thanks to its compact size and precise measurements, there are certainly applications for a number of industries and sectors.
Staacke: Yes, we talk to customers from many different sectors and see that there is a lot of interest. Another big application that you might not immediately think of is non-destructive material testing. With our very small sensor, we can get into a lot of tight places and detect even small defects. Another important application is positioning. This is where you need to accurately check a position or adjust a distance. Every time I talk to new potential customers, new applications open up.
Wölk: Are your interlocutors in the companies open to quantum sensor technology, or do you still have a lot of convincing to do?
Staacke: That varies. Some companies are still very impressed that it is even possible to measure magnetic fields purely optically. Others – especially companies with large development departments – are already well versed and see great application potential. In most cases, they have already heard of us and come to us with concrete ideas.
Wölk: What opportunities does quantum sensing offer companies?
Staacke: Of course, it’s difficult to say because we are still at the very beginning of this development. You also have to be careful not to lump quantum sensing together with quantum computing. But quantum sensing is not about super-fast calculations, it is about very specific applications for measurement. We work with magnetic field sensors and can use them to open up new areas and find applications that were not possible before. In other areas we will be able to measure much more precisely. There will be many more and different applications for companies.
Wölk: What conditions would you like to see in order to realise this potential?
Staacke: It’s probably the same as with any new technology: we would like industry to get involved at an early stage – not just when the technology is fully developed. For example, by working together on new developments at an early stage. We’re too small to invest millions in a development that ultimately doesn’t suit the companies. This is where we need exchange, support and cooperation.
Wölk: Are the cards in your favour here in Germany?
Staacke: I think so, even though German companies are often sceptical about innovations. But because we are already talking to so many interested companies, I am optimistic. The topic is also being promoted by the German government and supported with research funding. I think everyone is aware that this is an important issue for the future.
Wölk: And looking to your own future: What are your next goals with Quantum Technologies?
Staacke: We are, of course, continuing to work on our magnetic field sensor. In our second development, which we are currently pushing ahead with, we are moving from the small to the large. We are developing a magnetic field camera that covers a larger area – with good resolution, of course.
Wölk: Ah, so you’re moving in the direction of quality control?
Staacke: Exactly, inline inspection, quality control, non-destructive material testing. The principle is similar to our current sensor. But instead of having a small amount of diamond material on the tip of the fibre, we coat a larger area – about the size of a business card – with the diamond material and look at it with a camera. This gives us millions of measurement points with a normal camera and allows us to measure the magnetic field over a large area at the same time.
Wölk: I like the fact that you can combine quantum technology with proven technology – similar to the quantum sensor with the fibre.
Staacke: Yes, everything remains purely optical. We have basically taken our current idea and thought it through a bit further.
Wölk: And do you also have ideas that go beyond sensor technology in the medium or long term? For example, in the direction of quantum computing or communication?
Staacke: In the long term, we may move away from sensor technology at some point, yes. But in the short term, we have so many ideas that we can’t yet realise with current technology that we’re very busy with sensor technology for the time being.
Quick fire round
Wölk: That brings us to our last round of questions, which you can answer off the cuff.
Staacke: All right!
Wölk: How would you explain your work to my grandmother?
Staacke: Well… not so simple. We measure magnets by shining green light on diamonds and seeing what red light comes back.
Wölk: What do you think is the most important technical invention of your lifetime?
Staacke: I’m not that old yet. I would say the general technical miniaturisation since the nineties. So much has happened since then. As a child I had a tower that was higher than a table – it had 32 MB of RAM. Now you have a whole computer in your hand as a smartphone.
Wölk: What was your favourite technological toy as a child?
Staacke: It was definitely LEGO – I especially loved the LEGO train! I had an electric train where you could increase the voltage. I used to put switches and tracks under my grandma’s coffee table and then drive the train. But I also loved the LEGO car gears. The main thing was LEGO!
Wölk: Did you try LEGO Mindstorms later?
Staacke: Yes, later on. I built a part with touch sensors that could drive around.
Wölk: Let’s look further back: Which retro technology (this could be a technology, a program or a device) will stay in your heart forever?
Staacke: Camera technology – especially analogue cameras. I have an old box camera from around 1930 with just a small lens and a roll of film on the back. I still use it sometimes and it still works. I find that absolutely fascinating.
Wölk: And looking to the future: What gadget or innovative technology are you most excited about right now?
Staacke: AI hardware. I’m also an avid gamer and find AI graphics card technology very fascinating.
Wölk: What should be invented to make your life easier?
Staacke: Even better AI, so that I no longer have to formulate texts myself. This already works quite well with ChatGPT, but I don’t like to do it.
Wölk: And finally a very analogue question: What do you like to do best when you’re not working with technology?
Staacke: Eating out – a nice seven-course meal with wine pairing.
Many thanks to Robert Staacke for this interesting interview!
Bilder: Quantum Technologies
