M I T L I N C O L N L A B O R AT O R Y

INNOVATION
Technology in Support of National Security WWW.LL.MIT.EDU
HIGHLIGHT

Toroidal Propeller

KEY FEATURES
• Decreases signals in the
frequency range to which
humans are most sensitive
• Reduces noise without
requiring supplementary
components that add weight
and increase power draw
Toroidal propellers were installed on a commercial drone for testing. • Lessens the likelihood that
the spinning propeller will
cut, catch, or clip objects or
The toroidal propeller allows a small multirotor unpiloted surfaces in the drone’s path
aircraft, or drone, to operate more quietly than current
• Achieves thrust comparable
drones that use propeller forms unchanged since the
to that of a multirotor drone
beginning of aviation. By enabling a drone that is less of propeller
an acoustic annoyance, this propeller may accelerate the
• Allows reliable fabrication
acceptance of such aircraft for a wide range of uses—for
with additive manufacturing
example, aerial deliveries, cinematography, industrial or techniques that make it
infrastructure inspections, and agricultural monitoring. possible to customize
the propeller for various
multirotor models and types
 INNOVATION HIGHLIGHT Toroidal Propeller

(a) (b)
60

50 Noise
reduction
40
Pressure (dBA)

30

20

10

0
DJI standard
–10
DJI wingtips LL toroidal (v1)
–20
100 300 1000 3000 10000 100 300 1000 3000 10000
Frequency (Hz) Frequency (Hz)

The comparison between conventional propellers used on DJI’s quadrotors (a) and the toroidal propeller (b)
shows the significant reduction of discernible noise achieved by the toroidal propeller.

Challenge traffic. Thus, quieter propellers could accelerate public

Small, multirotor remotely controlled aircraft, acceptance and commercial adoption of drones.
or drones, have been proposed for various
services—package delivery, aerial photo/videography, Solution
search and rescue, and agricultural surveillance. The Our quiet toroidal propeller consists of two blades
low cost to manufacture and operate drones, and looping together so that the tip of one blade curves
decreased carbon emissions make them attractive back into the other. This closed-form structure
to commercial services. Because drones can fly into minimizes the drag effects of swirling air tunnels (i.e.,
tight spaces, such as urban neighborhoods, canyons, vortices) created at the tips of blades and strengthens
and disaster zones, they offer an alternative to the overall stiffness of the propeller. These features
sending humans into potentially dangerous areas. reduce the propeller’s acoustic signature.

One factor that has limited the deployment of drones Tests of prototype toroidal propellers on commercial
for these varied uses is the noise that they generate. quadcopters demonstrated thrust levels comparable
Psychoacoustic experiments conducted in 2017 by to those of conventional propellers at similar power
NASA Langley Research Center1 showed that humans levels. Reduced sound levels allowed toroidal-propeller-
reported a higher level of sensitivity to noise produced equipped drones to operate without taxing human
by small multirotor drones than to noise from other hearing at a distance half that of typical operation.
1 https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search?q=20170005870

INTERESTED IN ACCESSING INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH

THIS TECHNOLOGY? MIT LINCOLN LABORATORY?
Contact the MIT Technology Licensing Office https://www.ll.mit.edu/partner-us
https://tlo.mit.edu/ Contact the Technology Ventures Office
tlo@mit.edu 617-253-6966 tvo@ll.mit.edu

U.S. PATENT #10,836,466

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. This material is based upon work supported by the United States Air Force under Air Force Contract No. FA8702-15-D-0001. Any opinions, findings, conclusions,
or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Air Force.
© 2022 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

TVO.41