D-ICE - Autonomous detection and mitigation of ice for UAVs

The D-ICE project aims at technical and commercial verification of an autonomous system for detection and removal of icing on UAVs. Fixed-wing UAVs are extensively used in a number of industries, and many companies rely on them for cost-efficient collection of data, imaging, mapping, etc. Icing on UAVs constitutes a great risk to the vehicles and severely limits their operational window. Near 10 % of all UAV operations are negatively affected by this problem, with huge associated costs from loss of equipment, waiting on weather and lack of data. D-ICE Based on years of research at NTNU, the D-ICE project will prototype and verify a new concept for protection against icing on UAVs. The system will be fully autonomous and create a wider operational window and more realiable operations. THe D-ICE technology will enable UAVs for increasingly autonomous use in new industries. Market and commercialisation D-ICE targets the fast-growing market for fixed-wing UAVs, expected to grow from $202.8 million today to $2.28 billion in 2020.