A Bristol quantum-technology start-up that is building very small, very sensitive motion sensors that use light on a chip, designed to work where GPS does not.
Zero Point Motion makes tiny motion sensors for navigation. Phones and drones contain small sensors that detect movement, called inertial sensors, but they drift and make errors, which matters when there is no satellite signal to correct them. The company combines silicon photonics, which is technology that guides light on a chip, with micro-electromechanical systems, the tiny moving parts used in phone sensors. It says the result is a chip-scale sensor that reads motion by shining light instead of measuring electrical signals, and that the approach is far more sensitive than standard sensors of this type. It draws on ideas from gravitational-wave detection.
The company was founded by Dr Lia Li, who is its chief executive. She grew up in Bristol and joined the University of Bristol's QTEC quantum pre-incubation programme as an Executive Fellow in 2019. Her stated mission is: "Our mission is to harness light to redefine the future of sensing." The company aims to redefine the limits of motion sensing to transform positioning and navigation, for example for drones and other fast-moving platforms where outside signals can be weak or spoofed. It works with two foundries on the sensor chips and has described u-blox, a positioning-technology company, as a key partner and customer.
Zero Point Motion is based in Bristol, at the University of Bristol's Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC) on the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. The university says QTIC is currently a pilot, with a full-scale facility planned for the campus in autumn 2026. Dr Li has said Bristol has a large concentration of silicon photonics and quantum start-ups and that its universities provide talent and facilities. The company has also worked with the University of the West of England on Digibeat, a sensor that tracks fingertip movement and heart rate, supported by a MyWorld grant, to help creators gauge how immersed people are in virtual reality.
The public sources name only Dr Li, referring to "Lia and the team", so we cannot describe the rest of the team or its size. Dr Li says feedback from the people who use the sensors is the most important part of product development, which suggests a team that works closely with customers. That is her own description. We found no further culture material.
A company like this needs photonics and MEMS design engineers, device and test engineers, electronics and software engineers who handle the sensor signals, and people who work with customers in navigation, drones and consumer devices. Maths, physics, electronic engineering and computing are the natural subjects. Zero Point Motion's website is the best place to check its current vacancies.
Website: www.zeropointmotion.com
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