Quantum compass

"Last year, scientists at Imperial College, London trialled an alternative to GPS satellite navigation, dubbed a quantum compass, on the city's underground Tube network.

"GPS doesn't work underground but this does —the idea is that it could more accurately track and pinpoint objects anywhere in the world, either above or below ground, unlike GPS signals which can be blocked, jammed and affected by the weather.

"'The UK economy relies on GPS to the tune of £1bn per day, position, navigation and timing —this is often labelled a defence requirement —but all our financial transactions require a timestamp for authentication,' says Dr Michael Cuthbert, director of the UK's National Quantum Computing Centre.

"'Using quantum clocks, gyroscopes and magnetometers enables us to create a resilience against jamming and spoofing of our vital navigational systems'."