Thought Leadership
Navigation, medicine, mining: new sensors can measure the smallest magnetic fields. The technology group Bosch sees a potential worth billions in this area – and is joining forces with a partner.
Bosch is driving forward the development of highly sensitive sensors that can be used in areas such as navigation and medical technology. To this end, the technology group and the supplier of artificial diamonds, Element Six, are founding the joint venture Bosch Quantum Sensing. This is the result of an internal start-up, as the company from Gerlingen near Stuttgart announced.
The key components of the so-called quantum sensors are synthetically produced diamonds with specific properties. The sensors can reportedly measure even the smallest magnetic fields. Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung said: “Quantum sensor technology is a future technology with great potential. It will bring about groundbreaking changes in many sectors of our economy and make people’s lives better.”
The areas of application are therefore vast: in future, the sensors could improve navigation, for example, by orienting themselves to the Earth’s magnetic field. They can also be used in the search for mineral resources and to measure heart activity. Bosch estimates the global market potential of applications for medicine and mobility to be in the mid-single-digit billion range annually by the middle of the next decade.
Market-ready product in a few years
However, it will probably be quite a while before the sensors are widely used. The current prototype is the size of a smartphone. The new joint venture is intended to ensure that Bosch also earns money with the technology. Katrin Kobe, member of the company’s board of management, has promised a market-ready product in the early 2030s. The long-term goal is to shrink the sensors so that they fit onto a computer chip.
Bosch Quantum Sensing is currently based in Ludwigsburg and has around 30 employees. Bosch is in charge of the new company. Element Six from the UK will hold 25 percent of the shares in the future. The partners have been working together on the development of the sensors since 2023. They have agreed not to disclose further details. The authorities still have to approve the foundation.
dpa
