With its first-of-its-kind smart, variable-speed motor and patented AC-to-AC converter technology, the US engineering manufacturer ITT has entered the industrial motors market. This technology eliminates the demand for an external AC-to-DC-to-AC VSD/VFD (variable-speed / variable-frequency drive). In factory pump and fan applications, particularly in harsh environments, it claims that its Vidar motor, which is 60% smaller than traditional motor-drive combinations, will reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and expenses while extending equipment lifespans.

Initially available in Nema frame versions, the motor, formerly known as the Embedded Motor Drive (EMD), can be used as an easy replacement for current motors. It doesn't require additional enclosures, extra floor space, or special inverter-duty cabling like traditional motor-and-drive setups do. It can be setup in less than an hour, according to Vidar.

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The motor is based on a permanent magnet-assisted high-efficiency synchronous reluctance motor. It conforms to IEEE-519 power quality standards for lower harmonic distortion and CSA Class 1 Division 2 for hazardous areas. For increased efficiencies and power densities, the design does away with rotor-induced currents. According to reports, it runs 10–25% cooler than induction motors, reducing energy losses, prolonging component life, and improving dependability.

It is said that the motor's sophisticated magnetic design produces high power factors, torque levels, and efficiencies.

Vidar's patented AC-Link technology uses a simplified AC-to-AC method in place of traditional AC–DC–AC converter technology. The technology is based on research on a new AC-to-AC power conversion technology that is small enough to be integrated into the motor housing and was conducted at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. In order to get the technology ready for practical uses, prototypes were improved and tested over the course of a multi-year partnership between the university and Vidar.

The new design reduces the size of the converter by 60% and enables it to be integrated with the motor in a standalone small package by doing away with the DC stage and the large, prone to failure capacitors. A motor's insulation life is said to be increased when long cable runs between it and its drive are removed, as well as between the motor and the VFD. Both the motor and the converter circuitry are cooled by a single fan.

Production started in the 3rd quarter of 2025, with plans to ramp up manufacturing in 2026.