Technology

37746 readers

49 users here now

A nice place to discuss rumors, happenings, innovations, and challenges in the technology sphere. We also welcome discussions on the intersections of technology and society. If it’s technological news or discussion of technology, it probably belongs here.

Remember the overriding ethos on Beehaw: Be(e) Nice. Each user you encounter here is a person, and should be treated with kindness (even if they’re wrong, or use a Linux distro you don’t like). Personal attacks will not be tolerated.

Subcommunities on Beehaw:

This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

TheRtRevKaiser@kbin.social

What is a 'toroidal propeller' and could it change the future of drones? An expert explains (theconversation.com)

submitted 1 year ago by dirtmayor to c/technology

11 comments fedilink hide all child comments

top 11 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] TendieMaster69@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I remember reading about these a little while ago. Supposedly toroidal propellers aren't that good for high RPM and high speeds, but they're really good for things like submarines and they also create no bubbles/sound. Another big benefit is they don't harm wildlife such as manatees because they don't have blades.

[–] Orvanis@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah the benefits seem to be greater on the marine side...

But even then how much better they are is essentially unknown with an awful lot of drawbacks. They weigh more which is problematic for drones, are significantly more complex to manufacture and thus are more expensive.

So unless they can quantify how much better (and for those cons they need to be significantly better) I don't see this gaining any traction.

[–] TendieMaster69@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The places I see them gaining traction are areas with manatees and wildlife that can be harmed by conventional propellers. If the local government enacts legislation that requires the use of them to protect wildlife for instance.

[–] brianorca@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

For now, they are prohibitively expensive due to the monopoly that Sharrow has with their patent. But there are other ways, such as jet ducts, to protect wildlife. But it's not so easy to retrofit a jet into an existing boat.

[–] communist 8 points 1 year ago

It's amazing that the world is still seeing innovation on something as simple as a propeller, the limits of science are so vast!

[–] netwren@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Curious. Could you 3d print a propeller or does it demand some sort of higher quality manufacturing process? For a DIY drone project slapping some toroidal propellers just to test it out seems doable.

[–] ilost7489@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

Yes, they still work if they are 3d printed and you can even find files online for them such as this

[–] Kyle@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

I saw someone 3D print a toroidal prop on YouTube. They tested it and it was 10 times louder than the normal but high quality manufactured propellers. So it would have to be made with a much more precise 3D printing process I think. Link for a laugh 😆

https://youtube.com/shorts/Df32lrVy5os?feature=share

[–] GoldenSpamfish@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 year ago

It's been done a lot, but its kinda pointless as any noise improvements from the shape are obliterated by the bad surface finish.

[–] SlovenianSocket@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Certainly can. But you want to print them in a specific orientation to improve strength & aerodynamics

[–] ThatOneDudeFromOhio@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I was going to say the same. Additive manufacturing might have solved most of the issues with these propellers.