Atomic gases for the basis of a variety of devices in quantum technology. Exploiting mature techniques of cooling, trapping and measuring the properties of these gases through their interaction with laser light, record sensitivities have been achieved in quantum sensing based on these systems. In this talk, we will focus on magnetic field sensing and its applications, in particular in biomedical imaging and materials characterisation. On the microscopic level, ultra cold atoms in the quantum degenerate state can help to produce conductivity maps in devices based on thin films, e.g. graphene, and percolating networks of nanowire, e.g. in transparent electrodes for touch screens and solar cells. On a larger scale, highest sensitivities while maintaining simplicity of setups can be used to map faint fields stemming from neuronal activities in the brain or elsewhere in the human body. An overview of the efforts at a new laboratory at the University of Sussex, UK, will be given in these and related areas.