Prospectral is building an imaging technology to power the next generation of computer vision: the branch of AI that processes images and video.
Vision algorithms are constrained by the fact that most cameras only capture a tiny portion of the information available in light – a red, green and blue data point at each pixel.
Founded by four University of Cambridge researchers in optical physics and semiconductor engineering, Prospectral has designed a new multi-modal imaging approach that allows cameras to capture light in vastly more detail.
“With the right datasets, vision algorithms have immense potential to unlock insights that the human eye, and conventional cameras, can’t detect.”
A new multi-modal imaging approach for materials identification
Spun out from the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, Prospectral was co-founded during Covid by CEO Gwenhivir Wyatt-Moon, CTO Thomas Albrow-Owen, CSO Dr Oliver Burton and CIO Dr Peter Christopher. Their computer vision hardware and software will empower industries with dramatically lower-cost, more compact and less complex tools for analysing materials, detecting substances or designing more accurate classification algorithms.
The technology has potential in a range of use cases, including industrial monitoring, healthtech and driverless vehicle systems.
“These include optimising agricultural yields or advancing environmental monitoring to enhancing healthcare diagnostics or ensuring product quality.”
For example, if a recycling plant wants to differentiate between types of plastic, or a farmer wants to monitor seed germination, Prospectral’s cameras can provide this information directly using its spectral signatures.
“Prospectral’s mission is to democratise the technology that collects and processes this data, with scalable, ultra-compact camera modules that interface with computer vision in a fundamentally more efficient way.”
Gwenhivir Wyatt-Moon
Backed by Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Prospectral is one of our Deep Tech portfolio companies. In 2024, they successfully secured $1.2 million in a pre-seed round from Creator Fund, Unruly Capital and Cambridge Enterprise Ventures. This funding will fuel the development of their pioneering image sensor technology, allowing them to build and scale ultra-compact cameras for advanced materials detection and analysis.
Prospectral’s mission is founded on the belief that next-generation materials need next-generation imaging. The four University of Cambridge alumni aim to make these innovative cameras accessible to everyone, offering solutions that are cheaper, faster and better.
Image Credits: Prospectral
