Most individuals living in colder regions of the world know how challenging winters can be for them. On cold winter mornings nobody like a ritual of defrosting windows. Have you ever scraped ice from your car's window? You must hate it when your hands get stiff with cold or get raw red and cold, right? Because who doesn't hate it! Have you ever missed your office or an appointment just because it took you so long to get rid of ice from your car? If so, then you know how frustrating it is to spend a significant amount of time to clear out all the icy mess with frost bitten hands.
The good news is that a joint research team has come up with groundbreaking technology that is specially designed to remove the ice electronically from the car's surface within seconds. Yes, you heard it right! Now you do not have to do all that hard work. The team working on this includes researchers along with members from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Japan's Kyushu University. Not only does this technology lessen the efforts but it also utilizes less than 1% of the energy necessities as compared to current defrosting methods. To learn about this amazing technology, make sure to read the article till the end!
How Pulse Technology Works?
The research of developing pulse technology was initially started to deal with the massive energy requirements for deicing methods that are currently being used. This technology uses an electrical pulse that forms a layer of water on the areas where both the ice and surface meet each other. For this method to work out effectively, a thin coating of indium tin oxide (ITO) is used, which makes sure that the pulse hits targeted areas on the surface only. After the pulse has hit the intended area, the rest of the task is done by gravity. The gravity makes the ice slide off easily. This exciting technology will change how drivers defrost windows. In addition to removing ice from car windows, this technology is effective and helpful for cleaning other surfaces such as airplanes, which allow them to fly in the icy weather as well.
Is this Technology Really Effective?
However, this technology is still in the proof-of-concept phase. Recently, the researchers and scientists validated how their method works by using it to de-ice a cut of glass, which is as cold as minus 159.8 degrees Fahrenheit. These extremely low air temperatures are even cooler than the coolest regions of Antarctica. This made researchers able to eliminate ice with one pulse under one second using the technology.
Other Similar Technologies
These researchers were not the only one who is experimenting and investigating similar technology. At ETH Zurich Switzerland, a group of scientists have established a solar-activated nanoscale-thick coating which seizes sunlight and utilize it to defrost windows quickly.
Moreover, at Virginia Tech, researchers have come up with an advanced water-repellent aluminum surface. This technology uses millions of small air pockets to speed up defrosting speeds significantly. Shortly, these solutions and methods will make their way to the market.
