How Ubiq made D•ICE Sense

Introduction

When Ubiq Aerospace set out to protect aircraft from in-flight icing, they quickly realized something crucial was missing: a sensor they could trust. Off-the-shelf solutions weren’t built for small autonomous aircraft, and the options available were either too heavy, too power-hungry, or too unreliable. So they did what any engineering-minded team might do when the market doesn’t deliver: they built their own.

Why build an ice sensor in-house?

Ubiq's journey into ice detection started with a simple premise: to make intelligent, efficient de-icing decisions, you first need to know when you’re in icing conditions. Existing sensors designed for large commercial aircraft weren’t suitable for drones or small UAVs. "They were just too big, too heavy, or not refined enough," said Bård Stovner, Head of the Autonomy Chapter. "There were some research projects out there, but nothing ready for real-world use."

The team explored external partnerships early on, but even though it seemed promising at first, that approach fell short of expectations. "It was lightweight and the power demand was fine," recalled physicist Lars Stephan Klein, now project lead for the sensor. "But over time we realized it wasn’t reliable enough. That was the moment we knew we had to develop something ourselves."

Narrowing down the technology

The team started broad, evaluating over a dozen possible sensing technologies. "We looked into maybe 15 directions," said Stovner. "Eventually we narrowed it to four, then two, and finally just one."

The winning approach? A capacitance-based sensor that measures how ice and water respond differently to electric fields. "It’s elegant in its simplicity," said Klein. "And it gives us a fast, clear distinction between conditions."

- It can be used on a wing, a propeller, even critical instruments like the pitot tube, and you can use just one or many, depending on what you're flying."

Form meets function

The final design isn't just clever—it's incredibly practical. The sensor is modular, flush-mounted like a strip of tape, and can be attached to almost any aerodynamic surface without disrupting airflow. "It can be used on a wing, a propeller, even critical instruments like the pitot tube," said Stovner. "And you can use just one or many, depending on what you're flying."

Earlier prototypes were more... substantial. "We started with rigid PCBs, basically chunks of hardware," laughed Klein. "Miniaturization came later, after we validated that the principle worked."

20x lighter

Weighing in at just 15 grams, D•ICE Sense brings precise ice detection to a wider range of UAVs and weight-sensitive aircraft. That’s 20 times lighter than the industry’s adapted standard—an IDS originally built for manned aviation, scaled down for drones but still tipping the scales at 300 grams.

We feared the detection was slow. But we were actually seeing how long water takes to freeze.

Watching physics in real time

"The most impressive metric right now is detection speed," said Stovner. In real-world conditions, the sensor distinguishes between safe and hazardous cloud droplets in seconds. That’s crucial: for smaller UAVs, even brief exposure to icing can have serious consequences. And thanks to their fine-grained readings, Ubiq’s sensors now detect transitions—seeing not just whether there is ice, but how much, and how fast it’s building up. "It’s like seeing physics happen," said Klein. "We feared the detection was slow. But we were actually seeing how long water takes to freeze."

- Every unnecessary watt used for heating is lost flight time

Autonomous control, optimized power

The sensor isn't just about awareness—it enables smarter responses. Instead of heating every surface constantly, Ubiq’s system targets only the areas that need it, exactly when they need it. "This kind of precision is key for small aircraft with limited power budgets," said Stovner. "Every unnecessary watt used for heating is lost flight time."

And while commercial jets can afford to bleed hot air from engines, UAVs and other electric aircraft run on tight battery constraints. Autonomous heating control powered by accurate, real-time detection makes a measurable difference and drastically increases operational capabilities.

Looking ahead

Today, Ubiq’s D·ICE Sense is a fast, modular, and surprisingly elegant sensor. Tomorrow, it could become even more intelligent. The team is already working on richer atmospheric profiling, potentially giving UAVs not just a warning, but detailed insight into icing severity and type.

"The more we understand, the better we can act," said Klein. "And we want the system to act on its own—keeping the aircraft safe without distracting the pilot."

For a technology born out of necessity, Ubiq’s ice detection sensor has become something bigger: a foundational tool that unlocks safer, more autonomous flight. And as is often the case in aerospace, the real innovation started with a problem no one else had solved—yet.