Delta g raises £1.5m to commercialise subsurface mapping tech

Led by CEO Pete Stirling and founded by Andrew Lamb, Jonathan Winch and Professor Michael Holynski, the company is a Birmingham University spinout that is set to commercialise technology based on work carried out at the Quantum Technology Hub for Sensors and Timing.

Its work builds on research into gravity gradiometry carried out over the past decade, which culminated in the development and demonstration of the world's first practical quantum gravity gradient sensor.

Organisations involved in infrastructure, development and repair projects rely on accurate surface-level information to enable the visualisation of underground locations. Existing cartographic tools are limited due to poor ability to see past topmost layers, inconsistent measurements in varying ground conditions, an inability to measure in high-vibration environments, or slow measurements resulting in prohibitive time and financial costs.

Consequently, these tools are limited in identifying subsurface anomalies accurately and reliably, from subsidence and sinkholes to existing utilities or old mine works. Sixteen per cent of contractor damage to the UK’s utility infrastructure is due to limited subsurface information.