Nickel Titanium

Basics

• Also known as Nitinol
• An Alloy of Nickel and Titanium with very unique properties
• Mainly that it has a "Shape Memory"
• Once heated to a certain temperature at a shape and cooled it is "locked in" to that shape
• A great example of this is a Nitronol Paperclip, that even if completely bent apart, will return to the perfect shape on it's own
• Practical Implications (Most often if used in Compliant Mechanisms , sometimes with controllable heating elements)
  • Self Opening/Regulating Greenhouse Vents
  • Ultra Low SWaP Actuators
  • "Compliant Wheels" For things like rovers, or off road vehicles

Internal Links

• Compliant Mechanism
• Shape Memory Alloys

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Nickel Titanium
• A Video by the Youtube Channel "Verge Science" Titled "How a metal with a memory will shape our future on Mars"