
Impact

We develop optical solutions for a wide range of different applications, including low-noise fluorescence imaging, fibre optic sensing, high-accuracy spectroscopy and interferometry, photonics, opto-fluidics and sensor systems.
Our continual investment in state-of-the-art technology and instrumentation, combined with world-class multi-disciplinary expertise, delivers breakthroughs in display and illumination on an increasingly miniaturised scale.
Specialisms

Imaging
Our wealth of experience enables us to integrate innovative imaging systems into our projects.
We combine sophisticated optical and algorithmic technologies to solve challenging machine vision problems, from monitoring cars through to complex robotic control.
Meanwhile, our expertise in microscopy and optical coherence tomography has led to significant breakthroughs in the medical sector.

Optical sensing
Optical sensing
We are leaders in the design of interferometric detection systems, from surface metrology to vibrometry and the manufacture of complex optical fibre sensors.
Our expertise in spectroscopy and fluorescence enables us to analyse and detect the presence of chemicals in the even most challenging environments.

Optical design
Our in-depth knowledge of optical systems and design consistently results in breakthrough innovations.
Our physicists and opto-mechanics experts work together to build robust systems to meet rigorous environmental requirements. With a focus on design-for-manufacture, we are capable of rapid end-to-end optical systems development, from concept to manufacture.
Experience

30+ years at the forefront
Our achievements in optics are diverse – from helping drilling companies to see inside their oil wells to helping clinicians make more accurate diagnoses and giving consumers greater insight into their own health and fertility.
With more than 30 years of experience at the forefront of advanced optics, we routinely achieve performance that pushes the known limits of physics.
Our core optical physics team is augmented by specialists in closely related fields, including optomechanics, optoelectronics and endoscopy.
Interested in joining us?
Tech, tools & facilities

Optics labs
Our suite optics of labs enables us to build complex and high-precision optical layouts, typically for testing prototype designs and novel techniques prior to deployment. Featuring six high-spec optical benches with configurable interlocked controlled areas for high-power (class 4) laser work and specialist facilities for interferometry, spectroscopy, low-noise fluorescence imaging and photon counting. This space can be split into separate laser-controlled areas, allowing multiple experiments to run simultaneously, giving our optical engineers the capability to develop creative solutions without instrumentation restrictions.

Analytical labs
Our laboratories provide high accuracy measurement and analysis for the wide range of projects we undertake. Specialist equipment includes a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCMS), a Matersizer particle size analyzer, a Spraytec laser diffraction droplet size analyzer, high-speed and thermal imaging cameras and rapid-development custom image analysis software.
We can help you
achieve the seemingly impossible
Case studies

Pietro Fiorentini subsea sensor
Developing a high-performance, zero-maintenance subsea water cut sensor
News & insights

Driving Net Zero – Is agritech ready to capture carbon?
The changing regulatory and subsidy systems underpinning farming are undergoing radical change. Furthermore, issues such as soil health, net zero and farm nature value are increasingly in the public eye.
- AI & Analytics
- Digital service innovation
- Optics
- Physical sciences
- Sensing
- Signal processing

Ellume and Cambridge Consultants Collaborate on Core Technology Behind Ellume’s Rapid Antigen COVID-19 Test
Cambridge Consultants developed the ground-breaking optics technology powering Ellume’s FDA authorized COVID-19 Home Test

Leap: The tiny camera that will disrupt intravascular imaging
‘Leap’ is a watershed moment for intravascular surgery: a single-use, high-definition miniature camera that allows a digital view inside veins and arteries for the first time.

Real-time nitrate sensing: enabling precision fertilizer application
Real-time nitrate sensing holds the potential for significant yield increases, cost savings, and environmental impact reduction.
- Optics
- Physical sciences
- Sensing