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High-Tech Electro-Defroster

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you-can't-get-rid-of-ice-fast-enough dept.

DahBaker writes to mention a News.com story about an ingenious way to de-ice a surface. From the article: "Dartmouth College engineering professor Victor Petrenko, not to be confused with one of the Champions on Ice, has devised a way to use a burst of electricity to remove ice caked on walls or windows. For surfaces coated with a special film, the jolt gets rid of ice in less than a second, far less time than it takes to hack at it with an ice scraper. While drivers might find easy-cleaning windshields convenient, the technology--called thin-film pulse electrothermal de-icing, or PETD--could have significant economic impact if widely deployed. It could, for example, cut the costs of repairing power lines downed by ice storms and keep plane windshields frost-free, decreasing fuel consumption."

1 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. Scratch resistant? by bidule · · Score: 0, Redundant


    This being /. and me being me, I didn't RTFA. If this is scratch-resistant and can be applied to non-glass surface, it could eliminate the anti-freeze applied to aircrafts before take-off. This would greatly reduce pollution there.

    --
    ID: the nose did not occur naturally, how would we wear glasses otherwise? (apologies to Voltaire)