I wonder if this motor gives better power to weight than multiphase “dc” brushless designs?
If so, I would imagine that it might be possible to use the magnetic innovations here to construct an even more useful brushless design, since brushes are a source of a lot of inefficiency.
Unfortunately, the wikipedia article doesn't give a good description of the niche that this electric motor design fills. It hints at power to weight ratio, but doesn't give any comparisons.