Coher Sense Secures ESA Spark Funding for Low-Cost FBG Interrogator Development
About Optica
11 May 2026
Coher Sense Secures ESA Spark Funding for Low-Cost FBG Interrogator Development
Lübeck, Germany — Coher Sense UG has been selected for support through the ESA Spark Funding initiative. The funded project focuses on the development of a compact, low-cost Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) interrogator based on an RGB-LED light source and interferometric detection technology.
Fiber Bragg Grating sensors are widely used in aerospace, energy, and industrial applications due to their ability to provide precise, distributed measurements under demanding conditions. However, the widespread adoption of this technology has been limited by the high cost and complexity of conventional interrogation systems, which are typically based on laser sources and precision spectrometers.
Coher Sense approach aims to fundamentally change this by enabling automotive-level, mass-deployable cost structures for FBG interrogation. By replacing conventional architectures with a simplified RGB-LED-based system and cost-efficient detection electronics, the project targets a cost reduction of one to two orders of magnitude.
This cost breakthrough has the potential to unlock new application areas in structural monitoring, smart materials, safety glass, composite structures, maritime systems, and large-scale industrial sensing, where fiber optic sensing has so far been economically impractical.
As part of the project, Coher Sense is currently developing a functional demonstrator and is actively seeking collaboration partners to explore application-specific implementations and scale the technology into real-world use cases.
“Our goal is not only to develop a lower-cost interrogator, but to enable entirely new applications and deployment scales for fiber optic sensing,” says Oliver Lischtschenko, CEO of Coher Sense. “We are looking for partners who bring application expertise and want to explore what becomes possible once the cost barrier is removed.”
About Coher Sense UG
Coher Sense UG is a photonics technology company based in Lübeck, Germany, developing compact optical sensing solutions based on interferometric detection principles. The company focuses on enabling scalable and accessible photonic measurement technologies for industrial and scientific applications.
