King's College London Develops New Type of Suspended Sensor, Expected to Open Pathways for Dark Matter Detection and Quantum Sensing

According to foreign media reports, scientists at King's College London (KCL) have developed one of the most sensitive sensors to date, inspired by the human eye, which is expected to track over 100 suspended microparticles. This new type of sensor, capable of suspending dozens of glass microparticles, may completely revolutionize the precision and efficiency of sensing technology, laying the groundwork for more advanced autonomous vehicles, navigation systems, and even dark matter detection. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Image Source: Nature Communications (2025)

Suspended sensors typically isolate tiny particles to observe and quantify the effects of external forces like acceleration on them. The more particles are disturbed, the better the isolation from the environment, resulting in higher sensor accuracy.

Previously, devices could only choose between fast tracking of a single object and slow tracking of multiple objects. However, this design by King's College London overcomes the inherent limitations of previous devices by accurately tracking and controlling a "particle cloud" composed of multiple sensors.

James Millen, a physics professor at King's College London and director of the King's Quantum Research Center, stated: "Although sensors are often unseen, they are at the core of modern technology and science. Higher precision sensors mean that self-driving cars can achieve more accurate path planning, as they can detect minute changes in acceleration and provide independent navigation systems that do not rely on unreliable satellite connections. By suspending microparticles in a vacuum, we have created a highly sensitive miniature sensor. We have implemented cutting-edge technology inspired by the brain's visual interpretation mechanism to achieve high-speed control of the sensor's motion; combined with a cooling process, we can further enhance the sensor's sensitivity by utilizing quantum mechanical properties. This gives us the hope of detecting extremely weak interactions related to gravitational waves or dark matter in the laboratory."

The core of this study involves using neuromorphic (or brain-like) event cameras to detect the motion of arrays of particles suspended in an electromagnetic field. These cameras only capture the trajectories of the particles' movements, rather than recording video frames of all objects within the field of view, collecting only the necessary information. Researchers then employ artificial intelligence algorithms to individually track the motion of each particle while also tracking the collective "particle cloud" as a whole, thereby gaining insight into all the forces acting on them with unprecedented levels of precision.

This method generates a minimal amount of data, allowing researchers to produce real-time feedback signals to control the movement of each particle in the array. By regulating the movement of the microparticles, researchers can reduce their energy, achieving effective cooling and stabilizing the movement state.

Due to the extremely low energy consumption of these devices, the research team believes that in the future, it is expected to significantly increase the number of suspended particles with sensors and integrate this technology onto chips.

Dr. Yugang Ren, a postdoctoral researcher at King's College London and the first author of the study, stated: "Thanks to the low energy consumption characteristics of our imaging technology and tracking algorithms, computer chip-level integration is expected to be achieved within the next 5 to 10 years. This means that various fields, from environmental monitoring to consumer electronics, can benefit from more precise sensing technologies—whether it is harmful gas detection or location tracking. In the future, our technology is expected to cool particles to within a thousandth of a degree above absolute zero (the lowest temperature allowed by quantum physics), eliminating thermal noise and vibrations that affect sensor accuracy. This will create a quantum sensor with precision and sensitivity far surpassing existing traditional technologies."