Folium Sensing Is Turning Fibre-Optic Cables Into Smart Infrastructure Monitors
What if the fibre-optic cables already carrying data could also help detect damage to the infrastructure around them? Chennai-based deep-tech startup Folium Sensing is working to make that possible.
The IIT Madras-incubated company uses laser signals and machine learning to transform existing fibre-optic networks into distributed sensing systems. Its technology can detect acoustic disturbances, temperature changes and physical strain, with potential applications in monitoring pipelines, railway tracks, tunnels and bridges.
Founded in 2024, Folium Sensing has reported field deployments, including tunnel monitoring on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway with Forbes Marshall and a smart-building monitoring project with TDK Ventures. Selected for YourStory's Tech30 2026, the startup is working to make infrastructure monitoring more continuous without requiring individual sensors at every location.
#DeepTech #FibreOptics #InfrastructureInnovation #Startup77
