US electric-motor startup Modal Motors used TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 on September 23 to unveil the Hybrid Enigma Drive, a rare-earth-magnet-free flat motor for drones, fans, blowers and actuators pitched as a supply-chain answer to Chinese neodymium and dysprosium.
A flat motor built without rare earths
Founder Michael Van Steenburg said Modal's core insight is that most rivals talking up reshoring still depend on rare-earth magnets pulled from Chinese mines and processing plants, leaving them exposed to export controls Beijing has expanded through 2025 and 2026. Modal replaces those magnets with an alternate topology it calls the Hybrid Enigma Drive, targeting the small-motor bracket used in commercial drones, HVAC blowers and industrial actuators.
Startup Battlefield 200 debut
Modal is competing in Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt and did not disclose a funding round. Van Steenburg argued that magnet-free designs also cut recycling headaches and tariff exposure, both of which have shaped Washington's push to domesticate the electric-motor supply chain alongside batteries and chips. Related: Arduino unveils VENTUNO Q, a 40-TOPS dual-brain robotics board and Nexterity Debuts Bolted-Flange Robot To Automate Dangerous Pipefitting.
Reporting based on coverage from TechCrunch.