From a nano dot to an intelligent sensing toolbox

From smart phones to robots, sensors are everywhere. Sensors are small and versatile devices that can be deployed by very large numbers. They are responsible for the bulk of big data, which we feel so excited about today. They are becoming ubiquitous, and have already become an indispensible and integrated part of how our world is run.

Most sensors familiar to us are inspired by the sensing capabilities we human have, such as the abilities to sense temperature, acceleration, sound and light. However, beyond the realm of these sensors are whole ranges of exciting information dimensions that are waiting to be explored and exploited. The spectrum of light is one of such kind.

Spectrum of light is an important information dimension that humans are not naturally equipped to sense. Light spectra provide powerful and insightful information about the substances that surround us everywhere. Instruments capable of analyzing the spectrum of light (called spectrometers) are very widely used to help guard our health and safety, and to help satisfy our curiosity for new knowledge. However, they have remained to this day bulky, expensive, hard to operate, and hard to maintain.

We ‘sensorize’ such instruments by using nanometer-sized particles called quantum dots, based on the quantum dot spectrometer approach that we invented. Learn more on our research page.

Join us to turn such sensors into a versatile, intelligent, and ubiquitous sensing toolbox.