Shape memory materials, also known as "metal muscles" or "artificial muscles," have the ability to snap back into their original shape after being stretched, squashed, bent, or otherwise deformed. If ...

Using Nitinol—a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire—a line of solenoid replacements for commercial applications can be used as a low-mass, low-power, low-cost alternative to larger and more costly ...

Some metal alloys will "remember" a shape when you heat them to the same temperature they were originally shaped at. So a straight wire made from one of these "shape memory alloys" might change back ...

The basis of the nickel-titanium shape memory alloy (SMA) class is the intermetallic equiatomic binary alloy NiTi. Its moderate solubility range allows its composition to be changed, and also enables ...

Any robot that moves needs actuators—motors that move parts of the robot around. While robot actuators have been around since the dawn of machines, they have some issues. For one, it is very difficult ...

Smart materials are an interesting field that is growing quickly, and shape memory alloys (SMAs) are one such materials that represent one of the most exciting areas. An SMA can experience ...

Scientists captured live action details of the phase transitions of shape memory alloys, giving them a better idea how to improve their properties for applications. Known to many as muscle wire or ...