Quantum sensing
Delivering transformational defense and commercial capabilities through quantum advantage
TIME Names Q-CTRL's Ironstone Opal One of the Best Inventions of 2025
Quantum-based navigation system ensures planes and ships stay on course during GPS attacks.
Detect the undetectable
Quantum sensors exploit the extreme sensitivity of quantum devices to give you a new way to see the world. By harnessing the power of quantum technology, these sensors are able to detect smaller signals from greater distances, unlocking new possibilities for navigation and exploration in the air, on land, and at sea.
At Q-CTRL we’ve focused entirely on how AI-powered quantum control software can help realize the transformational potential of quantum sensing where it counts – in the field. Discover more below.
Solutions for commercial aviation and defense
Enabling the autonomous future powered by quantum navigation
GPS is essential, but increasingly vulnerable to outages, jamming, and spoofing in critical real-world environments. With over 1,000 flights a day subject to jamming, the risks to crewed and uncrewed systems across air, land, and sea are growing daily.
Through our focus on how software can augment the performance of quantum sensing hardware, we delivered the first and only commercial quantum navigation system capable of achieving true advantage in flight and ground-based trials.
The resulting system is Ironstone Opal, a compact and powerful quantum navigation system that delivers GPS-like navigation without GPS, for deployment in drones, autonomous cars, and airliners. It uses ultrasensitive quantum sensors, mapping to the Earth's magnetic field, providing secure, passive, and all-weather navigation in GPS-denied environments.
Ironstone Opal
Breakthrough quantum navigation solutions for defense and industry.](/content/ironstone-opal/index.html)
Gain a validated quantum advantage in navigation with Q-CTRL difference
100X
Quantum advantage over a strategic-grade classical INS.
<0.03%
Fractional positioning uncertainty after hours of continuous flight.
20X
Enhanced resilience in motion due to proprietary software ruggedization.
Solutions for end-users
Delivering a strategic advantage with state-of-the-art quantum-assured systems
More and more missions require early warning of threats and opportunities. Detecting signals of opportunity in either defense or commercial settings mandates new sensing technologies that are extremely sensitive and ultra-stable. Quantum sensing is the way forward.
Our expert team builds some of the world’s highest-performing, field-deployable quantum sensors tailored to the most demanding needs of our customers. By combining advanced hardware with proprietary software ruggedization, we deliver quantum-enhanced sensing solutions that unlock new capabilities and offer performance no one else can match.
And by focusing on solutions that solve real problems we’re transforming the outlook for quantum advantage.
World’s smallest strapdown 3-axis quantum IMU
UAV-mountable optical magnetometer
Ultrastable dual gravimeter/gradiometer
Solutions to protect critical infrastructure and defense personnel
Giving you new tools to counter new airborne threats
The risk of attack from uncrewed systems is growing, with recent missions in Ukraine and Russia illustrating how significant the threat has become. Existing counter-UAS systems fail in poor visibility and struggle to distinguish true risks from birds and other natural phenomena.
In partnership with the US Government and Australian Defence Q-CTRL has been developing a new generation of magnetic detection systems to deliver early warning of inbound drones. By identifying telltale signals of drone motors, this system can help provide early warning in the dark, and can help distinguish real threats from birds and other harmless background.
Solutions for quantum-sensing development teams
Helping you bring your quantum sensors to the field
Quantum control engineering is essential to extract more useful information from the next generation of quantum sensors and to accelerate their deployment in the field. It overcomes imperfections, environmental clutter, and platform noise to realize the true potential of your hardware.
Based on years of research, we provide infrastructure software solutions for quantum sensing that expand your system’s performance for the missions that matter. They are based on the power of Boulder Opal’s quantum control and intelligent autonomy capabilities, integrating autonomy, resilience, and noise rejection directly into your existing hardware and operational software.
Now you can empower your quantum sensing research with Boulder Opal's validated quantum control and research tools.
Boulder Opal
Professional-grade toolkits to design, automate, and scale quantum hardware and controls.](/content/boulder-opal/index.html)