Belgian SME manufacturing fiber Bragg grating sensors, increasingly specialized in sensing systems for autonomous surgical robotics.
FBGS International is a Belgian SME specializing in the design and manufacture of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors and optical fiber sensing systems. They supply precision fiber optic sensors to research consortia working on distributed sensing, robotics, and medical device applications. In H2020, they have served as the specialist sensor provider in projects ranging from industrial fiber nervous systems to autonomous surgical robotics, contributing their core sensing hardware and integration expertise.
Core technology contributor across all three projects — FINESSE (distributed fibre sensors), ATLAS (sensing for surgical robots), and ARTERY (sensor systems for catheter delivery).
ATLAS and ARTERY both apply fiber optic sensing to autonomous catheter navigation, continuum robotics, and transcatheter delivery systems.
FINESSE focused on fibre nervous sensing systems — networks of distributed sensors for monitoring physical structures or environments.
FBGS began their H2020 involvement with core fiber optic sensing technology (FINESSE, 2016), focused on distributed sensor networks for industrial or structural applications. From 2019 onward, their projects shifted decisively toward medical robotics — first autonomous intraluminal surgery (ATLAS) and then AI-driven transcatheter delivery (ARTERY). This trajectory shows a company applying its established sensor expertise to higher-value, higher-complexity medical applications.
FBGS is moving from general industrial sensing toward specialized medical device sensing, particularly for autonomous surgical robots — expect continued focus on MedTech sensor integration.
FBGS never coordinates — they join as a third party (2 projects) or participant (1 project), acting as a specialized sensor supplier within large consortia. With 50 unique partners across 11 countries from just 3 projects, they operate within broad, multi-partner research networks rather than leading small focused teams. This is consistent with a component manufacturer that plugs into larger system-level projects wherever precision sensing is needed.
Despite only 3 projects, FBGS has collaborated with 50 unique partners across 11 countries, reflecting the large MSCA training networks and RIA consortia they participate in. Their network spans widely across Europe with no single dominant geographic cluster.
FBGS occupies a niche as a dedicated fiber Bragg grating sensor manufacturer that brings production-ready sensing hardware into research consortia — they are not a lab, but a supplier of real, deployable sensor products. Their transition into medical robotics sensing sets them apart from general-purpose sensor companies, making them a rare bridge between photonics manufacturing and surgical robotics R&D. For consortium builders, they offer a credible industrial partner that can move sensor prototypes toward market-ready components.
