Reflecting on 2023

As the year 2023 comes to a close, it’s time to look back at a year filled with significant achievements and advancements in the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) icing research. It has been an important year for the UAV icing research field and the NTNU UAV Icing Lab has contributed some of the key achievements.

Highlights from 2023

1. SAE Icing Conference: This year’s SAE Icing Conference in Vienna was a landmark event for UAV icing research. It featured a record number of papers dedicated to UAV icing. Our lab proudly contributed six of these papers on a wide range of topics such as icing on wings, propellers, ice protection systems, path-planning, and ice detection.
2. 2nd AIAA Ice Prediction Workshop: The 2nd edition of this workshop was another highlight of the year. Our lab contributed a UAV icing case with low Reynolds numbers that was featured in this important workshop. The results showcased that many ice prediction codes have substantial gaps for simulations of UAV icing cases.
3. Collaboration with UBIQ Aerospace: Perhaps one of our most impactful collaborations of 2023 was with UBIQ Aerospace. Together, we developed an ice protection system for UAV propellers. This system was tested under moderate icing conditions and impressively maintained 70% efficiency over a 10-minute period. This success marks a significant step forward in our quest to make UAVs safer and more efficient in icy conditions.

Outlook for 2024: Expanding Horizons

As we move into 2024, the UAV Icing Lab is poised for another year of innovation and discovery.

1. 2nd UAV Icing Workshop: Building on the success of our previous workshops, we are excited to host the 2nd UAV Icing Workshop. This will be a platform for sharing new research, fostering collaborations, and discussing the future directions of UAV icing research. More information will follow soon.
2. AIAA Aviation Conference in Las Vegas: We are geared up for the AIAA Aviation Conference in Las Vegas, where we aim to submit six papers. Our ongoing research promises new insights and advancements in UAV icing, and we look forward to sharing these with the global community.
3. Continued Collaborations and Wind Tunnel Tests: Our journey doesn’t stop here. We will continue our collaborations with industry partners and conduct more icing wind tunnel tests. These efforts are vital for developing more effective icing mitigation strategies and technologies for UAVs.

The NTNU UAV Icing Lab wishes you happy holidays and a good start to an exciting 2024!