Karel Dumon is co-founder of Miraex, a Swiss start-up based at EPFL, which develops photonics solutions for industrial sensing and quantum technology. He has a background in Engineering Physics, with experience in photonics, material science and AI.
Photonic sensors have existed for decades, with well-known advantages for industries with harsh environments. But their adoption is still limited, e.g. due to their price point which is inherent to the complexity of their fabrication and principle of operation. Miraex technology allows to produce a full photonic smart sensing solution using traditional semiconductor fabrication techniques. This can make photonic sensors with millimeter-scale packages at a competitive price point a short-term reality. The first available, intrinsically safe Miraex product is the Polaris - Smart Accelerometer, with applications in e.g. agritech, nuclear and transportation