When you hear the word ‘quantum’, you may imagine physicists working on a new ground breaking theory. Or perhaps you’ve read about quantum computers and how they might change the world. But one lesser-known field is also starting to reap the benefits of the quantum realm – medicine.
As part of the EU’s Quantum Technologies Flagship program, a number of quantum technologies are being developed in Europe to transform a variety of fields. Medicine in particular looks set to gain, with several projects now underway to see how we could improve medical imaging or detect certain diseases more easily.
One of those projects is macQsimal, which is using small devices known as quantum sensors to revolutionize several areas – quantum-enabled atomic clocks, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and more precise electromagnetic radiation and gas concentration measurements. The project, which began in October 2018, hopes to bring their ideas to market as some of the first quantum-enabled technologies.
‘The goal is to put products as prototypes on the market,’ said Dr Jacques Haesler from the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), the project coordinator for macQsimal. ‘At the end, (we want to) be able to take further steps then commercialize these devices. But we also have to think about the next generation of quantum sensors, which will use more fancy quantum effects like entanglement or the superposition of states.’
Image Credit: Universität Ulm / Heiko Grandel
Thanks to Heinz V. Hoenen. Follow him on twitter: @HeinzVHoenen
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