RDPs, or rim driven propellers, rim driven propulsors and thrusters, are not a new idea. However, in the last five years, several companies have started production of RDPs due to growing interest in the marine industry. These systems use electromagnetic staters to spin a rotor with a propeller blades attached to it. This means that with a source of electricity, there's only one moving part, and that's the rotor propellers. The leaders of this technology and production are currently voiced with the RDP line, Brunval with the RDP line, and Rotork with their Torque jet line. Both Voith and Brunval are targeting the larger craft markets. They do support and build smaller models when there's market demand. The Torque jet is primarily designed for smaller craft and have been designing larger and larger models as their demand increases. The benefits of RDPs are numerous. They have reduced propeller blade thickness, uniform and undisturbed inflow, which increases the blade's efficiency, far less turbulence and cavitation due to the propeller tips and the center. Little or no lubrication is necessary and far less maintenance. They have a reduced risk of entanglement, or easy to repair without putting the boat into dry dock. Most have a 360 degree rotation, and they can safely and quickly go from a full speed ahead to a full reverse, usually in 2-3 seconds. The cons are lower speed. The current designs don't produce speeds like that of a standard prop, so you'll not be seeing people water skiing by boats propelled by RDPs in the short term future. However, you are likely to see future models with pump housings and compression nozzles in the next few years, kind of like jet drives. The commercial interest has even reached the passenger ferry market, like this one in Amsterdam. The speed limits on those channels don't require high speed systems, so this boat is actually powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that generates electricity needed to propel the RDP on the bottom. Running tide yachts has proposed this design for a sailing catamaran with retractable rim drives. This will greatly reduce or eliminate completely the propeller drag when under sail. The road torque torque jets are being mounted to outboard drives, retractable units, and as primary drives on solar power boats. I don't work for road torque, but I highly suggest checking out their videos, including this one, showing how it's virtually impossible to tangle the drive. I hope you found this video very helpful and informative, and don't forget to rate and subscribe. Thank you very much. Thanks for watching.