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From: leecemb@EA.USL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Memory Metals
Message-ID: <0093F732.C4DCDA20@EA.USL.EDU>
Date: 9 Nov 90 15:04:59 GMT
Sender: anon@rouge.usl.edu
Reply-To: leecemb@EA.USL.EDU
Organization: Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana
Lines: 29

Has anyone ever used or heard of someone who has used memory metals in robots.  

They are metals that return to a certain shape after being heated.  I read an
article in a magazine about them, I don't remeber all of the specs but they
set up simple machine to show it's possible uses.

They had they wire attached to two poles(+,-) and they had a rubber band 
going from the wire to another point (see diagram).


    ++              ### (memory metal) --
    ++*********************************--
    ++             #   #               --
                   #   #
                   #   #
                   #   #  (Rubber Band)
                   #   #
                   #   #
                   #   #
                    #O#

Whenever the wire is heated it would pull the rubber band; however when the
wire is cool the rubber band would pull the wire.

They also had a demonstration on how two wire could be used to act as a finger
Heating one would cause it to flex one way and heating the other would cause it
to flex the other and heating both would make it bend backwards.

Does anyone have more information about this?