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Abstract Mud motors, also known as downhole motors, are positive displacement motors widely used in horizontal and directional drilling. Conventional mud motors rely on a rotor-stator assembly, where pressurized drilling fluid generates rotational motion to drive the drill bit. This study introduces a novel piston motor, designed to more efficiently convert the energy stored in pressurized fluid into dynamic energy for drill bit rotation. Unlike conventional mud motors, the piston motor incorporates a piston and rotor housed within a cylinder. The piston functions similarly to a stator but eliminates the gap between the piston and rotor, enhancing efficiency. The pressurized fluid alternately drives the piston forward and backward, generating linear motion, which in turn induces rotational motion in the rotor, alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Besides the piston to drive the rotor, a flow piston with integrated valves regulates the flow direction of the pressured fluids, enabling the linear movement of the piston and the rotor rotation. A proof-of-concept prototype was developed using 3D printing and PVC components to validate the fundamental operating principle. Notably, our initial tests were conducted using pressurized gas, demonstrating the ability of piston motors to operate with various working fluids, including liquids and gases. While the piston motor offers enhanced versatility, one potential drawback is its increased mechanical complexity compared to conventional mud motors. Further development and fabrication of a high-quality prototype are required to assess the full-scale performance and feasibility of this piston motor for field applications.