Nottingham engineers celebrate triple award win
An innovative de-icing system designed in Nottingham which could help helicopter pilots fly consistently in icy weather has picked up three national awards.
The six-strong team of engineering students from Nottingham Trent University have designed AeroTHAW, which de-ices helicopter rotor blades using a thin heat-spreading layer and built-in sensors.
It has been designed for helicopter operators who must fly in cold, wet weather – such as air ambulance, search and rescue, police, offshore and utility fleet pilots.
The team, comprising Izz-An Nissa, Peter Armanious, Ziyad Ataya, Abdur-Raheem Zaman, Martin Cho Nam Mo and Karmanjot Singh Randhawa, previously secured a prize at the university’s Grand Challenge enterprise competition, with prizes provided by business education charity ESBF. Now, they’ve picked up three awards at the ESBF Champion of Champions Competition.
They won the Social Media Prize, Pre-Show People’s Prize and Audience Prize – taking home a total of £1,500.
Nissa said: “Winning the Social Media, Pre-Show, and Audience awards tells us the public cares about the problem we’re solving. I’m incredibly proud of our team and thankful to ESBF, the organisers, and everyone who voted and shared our story. This support gives us the momentum to build our first full blade-section prototype and work with operators to prove the impact for patients, crews, and remote communities.
“AeroTHAW helps crews launch more often, use less energy, and cut delays caused by ice, while protecting the aircraft and reducing maintenance costs.
“Instead of blanket heating, AeroTHAW senses where ice actually accumulates – the leading edge and stagnation line – and pulses heat precisely to those zones, guided by a model-based controller.
“The result is practical and human – more launches in marginal weather, faster arrivals for patients and rescuers, steadier access for remote communities, and fewer cancellations for police and offshore operations. Lower electrical demand also reduces fuel burn, costs, and emissions, improving sustainability without compromising safety.”
The Champion of Champions grand final took place at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London on Friday 7 November.
The event, hosted by TV presenter and engineer Rob Bell, is the culmination of a year of ESBF-sponsored enterprise competitions held across UK universities, with thousands of undergraduate and graduates taking part.
Each year, ESBF champions business education for engineers and supports universities by giving them grants to award prizes to engineering and science students who develop ideas that can make a positive impact on society.