“The vibrations are in the range of just a few kilohertz. They are invisible to the naked eye but very effective. The ice clinging to the wing breaks up and falls off,” explains Denis Becker, a researcher at Fraunhofer LBF.

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Fraunhofer’s innovation bypasses heat altogether. It uses piezoelectric actuators embedded in the wing to send out precise, low-frequency vibrations when sensors detect ice formation. The vibrations cause the frozen layer to crack and detach before it can build up, keeping the surface clean without consuming much power.