Zero Point Motion

Zero Point Motion is a Bristol-based deep-tech startup developing the next generation of inertial sensors by fusing silicon photonics with micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Founded by Dr Ying Lia Li and based at the University of Bristol's Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC), the company is commercialising a breakthrough that makes chipscale accelerometers and gyroscopes 100x more sensitive than conventional technology.

The challenge the company addresses is a critical weakness in modern navigation: GPS can be jammed, spoofed, or simply unavailable in tunnels, underground environments, and contested military zones. Meanwhile, high-performance inertial sensors that can compensate for GPS absence have historically been too large and expensive for mass-market use, while affordable MEMS sensors accumulate errors too quickly to be reliable over distance.

Zero Point Motion's technology draws on Nobel Prize-winning gravitational wave detection principles to trap laser light within chipscale optical structures, creating an exquisitely sensitive resonance condition that can detect motion smaller than the diameter of an atom. The result is ultra-low noise sensors that can be manufactured at consumer-grade scale and cost, enabling sub-millimetre positioning precision in GPS-denied environments.

The company serves defence, autonomous vehicles, robotics, agritech, drones, and consumer electronics markets. In March 2025 Zero Point Motion closed a £4M pre-Series A round backed by SCVC, Foresight Group, and Verve Ventures, with seed investor u-blox AG continuing as a key strategic partner. The company has also secured £1.3M from the UK's Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and a €2.4M European Innovation Council grant.