INNOVATION July-August 2021

F E A T U R E

FROM “COFFEE TALK” TO BREAKTHROUGH

This small and innocuous-looking device is a microwave sensor that can detect dangerous ice buildups nearby; it has a a hydrophobic coating that causes water to bead up and roll off. Here, the sensor is set up for testing and experiments inside the UBC Okanagan Microelectronics and Gigahertz Applications Laboratory. P hoto : s am c harles /uBc o kanagan

INVENTION: PAINT-ON

What do airplane wings, wind turbines, drones, roads, and sidewalks all have in common? They can all accumulate dangerous ice. But now, two engineers from UBC Okanagan are testing a paint-on coating that can not only sense when ice is about to form but also help delay and even prevent it, making our skies, streets and walkways much safer. COULD MAKE WINTER A LOT SAFER ICE DETECTION SENSORS THAT

ROBIN J. MILLER

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